Kampala — HE is an icon of democracy and development. But beyond the borders of his country, he is a hero. His life is a spiral of qualities; he is a celebrated leader with the ability to formulate a vision and to convince others to toe his line. His journey to the helm of Africa's leadership cream started decades back, when he dropped out of university to join the independence liberation struggle in Mozambique. For his efforts to make the world a better place, Joachim Alberto Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, has been rewarded.

He is the winner of the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership. The $5m prize is the largest individual award in the world. The prize also includes $200,000 (about sh340m) annually for life and $200,000 a year for 10 years towards the winner's public interest activities and good causes.

Aggrey Awori, a veteran politician in Uganda, says Chissano deserves the credit for his achievements. Awori praises Chissano as a man who served exceptionally well.

"He was legitimately elected and stepped down at the right time," Awori says.

He, however, warns African leaders not to look at the prize as motivation to work towards getting the bounty.

"Leaders should live up to the expectations of the constitution and their performance will be evaluated. The reward is an appreciation of performance. It should not be looked at as something intended to motivate leaders do what they are expected to do any way."

Chissano served as the president of Mozambique from 1986 to 2005. To many, Chissano's rise to this coveted prize started decades ago when he parted with books at a prestigious university in Portugal to fight for the rights of the voiceless.

He was a leader in the guerilla struggle for independence from Portugal and co-founder of Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO). Under his tenure as president, Mozambique registered steady economic progress and the poverty levels significantly reduced.

The local media in Mozambique described him as a man who led Mozambique from conflict to peace and democracy. This is an attribute his critics and supporters view as his most outstanding contribution to Mozambique.

"I am absolutely delighted that Joachim Chissano has been selected as the first laureate. As a man who has reconciled a divided nation and built the foundations for a stable, democratic and prosperous future for the country, he is a role-model not just for Africa, but for the rest of the world," Mo Ibrahim, the founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said of Chissano.

Chissano, who first became president under a single party regime in 1986, was re-elected twice under the 1990 multi-party constitution before stepping down in 2004.

Chissano was born in 1939 in Chibuto district, Gaza province in a wealthy family. His traditional name is Dambunza. He is married with four children.

Largely viewed as a calm person with inherent diplomatic skills, Chissano was one of the first black pupils to attend Grammar school in Mozambique during the colonial era.

His leadership skills manifested during his early days in school. He was the President of the Nucleus of African Secondary School Students of Mozambique from 1959 to 1960.

He went to Portugal in 1960 to study Medicine, but dropped out after one year to join the liberation struggle in his country.

In 1962, he co-founded FRELIMO becoming secretary to the movement's president. He joined the guerilla war in 1964 before becoming FRELIMO's representative in Tanzania between 1968 and 1974.

He also played a pivotal role in the 1974 Lusaka Negotiations between FRELIMO and the Portuguese government, which laid a framework for a rapid transition to independence.

Samora Machel, who was the first post-independence president of Mozambique, appointed Chissano as prime minister and later as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the first decade after independence. Chissano was later to become a member of the Peoples Assembly in 1977 and a major general in the Mozambique Armed Forces in 1980.

When Machel died in a plane crash in 1986, the central committee of the party elected Chissano as president and commander-in-chief.

President Chissano oversaw the drafting of a multi-party constitution in 1990 and the signing in 1992 of a UN-brockered peace agreement which signalled the end of the civil war between the former Marxist FRELIMO and the South African-backed Mozambique National Resistance Movement (RENAMO).

As part of that agreement, multi-party elections for the presidency were eventually held in October 1994.

Chissano won the presidential poll with 53% against 33% for the RENAMO leader, Afonso Dhlakama. But soon the celebrations were no more. Chissano had a heavy task ahead of him.

The country had been devastated by the civil war which had left 900,000 people dead and one million homeless. His government also had problems with reasserting its authority in the central districts.

Despite the challenges, he oversaw major reforms which saw him win a second term in office. Presidential and legislative elections were held simultaneously between December 3 and 5 in 1999. And Chissano was returned for a second term, winning 52.3% of the vote.

International observers noted some logistical problems with the polls, but pronounced the election free and fair.

RENAMO disagreed with the outcome of the polls, leading to a protracted dispute.

However, by December 2000, RENAMO had ended its boycott of parliament, dropped threats to form a parallel government and finally recognised the re-election of Chissano.

Chissano pledged in December 2001 that he would not seek a third term. And at the end of his term in 2004, he stepped down, although he had an option of seeking another term in office.

This is one of the aspects the prize committee singled out as a big spirit of statesmanship depicted by Chissano.

The annual prize has been established by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, launched in October 2006 as an African initiative to strengthen governance in Africa.

The winner was selected by the prize committee of six eminent individuals who assessed every sub-Saharan African leader who has left office in the last three full calendar years on their exercise of leadership.

The prize aims to encourage leaders who fully dedicate their tenure of office to surmount the development challenges of their countries, improving the livelihoods and welfare of their people and consolidating the foundation for sustainable development.