Charles Onyango-Obbo
16 November 2009
opinion
Nairobi — Africa Essence was launched in Nairobi last Wednesday. Sounds like a perfume or a clothing line?
Yes, but it is not. Africa Essence is a magazine of the Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI).
The founder chairman of ALI East Africa is Ali Mufuruki, CEO of the Dar es Salaam-based Infotech Investments Group.
The real reason we have to mention Mufuruki at all, though, is to disclose a potential conflict of interest.
Until two months ago, he was a member of the Nation Media Group board, publishers of The EastAfrican.
Mufuruki is also chair of the board of NMG's Tanzanian operation, so watch out for any stroking of his back.
The short of ALI East Africa's story is that it names a bunch of promising young and not-so-young men and women as fellows for a period of time.
The idea, like the Biblical seed, is that if you scatter them in various fields, some will emerge as leaders who bring new values to their areas, and eventually down the road we will have enough good African men and women to change the (appalling) state of affairs on the continent.
Photo Essay:
As it happens, the Africa Essence launch came a few weeks after Sudan-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim's Foundation took back home its $5m prize for African Good Governance for this year, because, it said, there was no deserving just-retired African leader.
In other words, recently retired presidents like Ghana's John Kufour, Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki were not worthy of it.
Though at $5 million the Mo Ibrahim prize is the world's richest, a popular joke on the blogosphere is that most African leaders feel insulted at being offered small change, because many of them steal $5 million in just a week.
When I posted a mini-blog on Facebook suggesting that to have enough candidates the Mo Ibrahim Foundation should expand eligibility for the prize and also award dead African leaders, quite a few friends thought it was a sensible idea.
It is probably too harsh to say African leaders steal $5 million a week, so they don't need Mo's prize.
Rather too many African leaders -- and politicians -- just don't respond to incentives like glorious legacies because they are difficult to see and touch.
Power in Africa is a highly immediate business, because tomorrow is terribly uncertain.
A president needs to see visible expressions of gratitude and subservience to him, and the best way to get that quickly is to buy it through corrupt patronage.
The other thing is that the attrition rate for leaders in Africa, not just in politics but across all sectors, is very high.
Programmes like ALI, therefore, are a kind of Russian roulette.
Your best chance of having fellows who make a difference in future, is to pick as many as you can as several will most definitely fall by the wayside.
That said, the greatest contribution of ALI is perhaps not what it says in its mission statement, but the two signals it sends about leadership in Africa.
First, that we should not give in to pervasive cynicism about leadership on the continent.
Second, that it the only way we will get the leaders we dream of, is to fashion and raise them.
Charles Onyango-Obbo is executive editor of the Nation Media Group's Africa Media Division.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 The East African. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
I have been raising the issue of "intellectual leaders" in the ongoing debate. To achieve a better integration, or expanding trade,or to dream of viable states, we must have educated leaders who understand these issues. Everytime someone speaks of education, others take it as an insult. How do we expect to modernize Africa if our leaders are still the least educated in the world. Let,s stop been dum folks, and accept the fact that we need intellectual leaders at the top of all our nations first,and now.(Please read prezedu.blogspot.com)
Building Our Own Global Communications Infrastructure - GTUC FM Internet Broadcast
Black Star Media spurred by the initiative of people like Brother Keidi Obi Awadu are building Radio Stations . One Of Their Grand Projects Is In Accra , Ghana.
What can you do ? - Donate to the projects. - Become a member of [ livinginblack.com] - Use your own God-given initiative to guide your will to help. - [ http://livinginblack.ning.com/forum/topics/building-our-own-global ]
Their will be an exodus of nations leaving America ; returning to their ancestral homes e.g. Black Africans to nations like Ghana, Sierra Leone, etc…] [ .Get out of New Babylon America !!! ]
[Jeremiah, chapter 50 : 16 16: Cut off the sower from Babylon ;and him that handles the sickle in the time of harvest .For fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[ libradio.net ]
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]
[gcnlive.com]
Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
IS AFRICA FOR SALE ?
1) I’ve heard that one African country made a 99-year deal with an Asian country to lease a part of their land.
2) How can anyone make a deal for the next generation ?
3) What can we do about it ?
4) Organize and get those crooks out of office or any position of power.
5) Pray to God For insight and divine intervention.
6) Africa Is being targeted by many who are not respecting Africa.
7) We must stop selling ourselves and respect ourselves, our families and God.
Daniel 11:44 But NEWS OUT OF THE EAST (CHINA?) AND OUT OF THE NORTH ( RUSSIA ?) shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forward with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many
Revelations 16:12 And the 6th angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water of it was dried up, that the way of the KINGS OF THE EAST might be prepared.
[Daniel 11:14 ]]
And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south(AMERICA / BABYLON ): ALSO the ROBBERS OF OUR PEOPLE shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; BUT THEY SHALL FALL !
WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS !
[ www.libradio.net]
[gcnlive.com]
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]
THE ROBBERS OF OUR PEOPLE ARE FULFILLING PROPHECY
1) [Daniel 11:14 ]
And in those times :
a) there shall many stand up against the king of the south(AMERICA / BABYLON ):
b) ALSO the ROBBERS OF OUR PEOPLE shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; BUT THEY SHALL FALL !
2) Check Out FRITZ SPRINGMEIER’S ( A Bold Christian Truthseeker)
Expose` :
The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73Q2_f4vKU ]
THESE FAMILIES LIVE UNDER THE SIGN OF $$$$$$$$$$$$$ !!!
3) 16 European Nations . Met And Plotted On How They Would Rob Africa Of Its Riches.
* They met during two(2) Periods of time in two(2) places
* The General Act Of Berlin Conference (Nov, 1884 to February, 1885)
* Brussels Belgium to finalize SECRET agreements ( Nov, 1889 to July 1890)
* The Book “King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) by Adam Hochschild documents some of This information.
The following Nations (Households) - Planned how they would divide among themselves our AFRICAN Riches.
1) Austria-Hungary - Francis Joseph I Charles - August 18, 1830 -
2) Belgium - King Leopold II – April 9, 1835
3) Denmark - Frederik VIII -June 3, 1843
4) France - Marie François Sadi Carnot – August 11, 1837 -
5) Germany - Wilhelm II -– January 27, 1859
6) Great Britain - Queen Victoria (Hanover) – May 24, 1819 – British Ruler – 2nd
7) Holland –William III – February 19, 1817
8) Italy - Umberto I - March 14, 1844 -
9) Norway - Oscar II [Oscar Frederik] – January 21, 1829 (Also Sweden)
10) Portugal - Carlos I – September 28, 1863
11) Russia - Alexander III Alexandrovich – March 10, 1845
12) Spain - Alfonso XIII – May 17, 1886
13) Sweden - Oscar II – January 21, 1829 (Also Norway)
14) Turkey - Abdülhamid II, - September 2 or September 22 - 1842 -
15) United States - Benjamin Harrison – August 20, 1833 -
16) Persia (Iran) - Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar – July 16, 1831 –
Just as Gangsters sell their debt, so have the old list of ROBERS changed over Time.
Pray People. Trust In God..Not Your So-Called Leaders. Pray For Those Leaders Too.
They Are Constantly Being Tempted To Think About Their Personal Satisfactions ;
Rather Than The Future Of Their Nation. The Greatest Is Servant Of All !!!!!!!
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[ libradio.net]
[ gcnlive.com ] - Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]
See all comments (10).
Active Discussions: Mo Ibrahim Foundation Awards Ceremony