{"id":8540,"date":"2013-08-18T01:44:51","date_gmt":"2013-08-18T01:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/africas-gerontocrats-slammed-for-shutting-out-young-blood\/"},"modified":"2013-08-18T01:44:51","modified_gmt":"2013-08-18T01:44:51","slug":"africas-gerontocrats-slammed-for-shutting-out-young-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/africas-gerontocrats-slammed-for-shutting-out-young-blood\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa\u2019s gerontocrats slammed for shutting out young blood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sudanese-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim and sponsor of world’ biggest prize for leadership, on Saturday castigated Africa’s gerontocrats, the crop of ageing leaders for crowding out young blood.<\/p>\n

The philanthropist said the average age of leaders on the African continent was around 60 years, yet half of the population was under the age of 19.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a lecture in honour of South Arica’s first black president Nelson Mandela, the businessman drew comparisons between African and American leaders. <\/p>\n

\"Mo <\/p>\n

Mo Ibrahim: slams Mugabe and co<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

“(Barack) Obama became president when he was 47 years old, actually Bill Clinton beat him, he became president when he was 46 years old.<\/p>\n

“People in their 40s are being elected to run a country which is not only the greatest superpower, but has a GDP … of 15-trillion dollars a year — 15 times the total economy of Africa.”<\/p>\n

“And here we have somebody in a neighbouring country, at 90 about to start a new term. What’s wrong with us?” Ibrahim said, alluding to Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, who at 89 was last month re-elected in disputed polls that extended his 33-year rule by a fresh five-year term.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim said that had Obama’s father taken him back to Kenya when he was still a boy, “where would he be today? My guess, he would never (have) been president of Kenya.”<\/p>\n

He urged Africa to create space for young people to help in running and developing the continent.<\/p>\n

“That is the challenge we need to think of,” said Ibrahim, who is in his sixties.<\/p>\n

Ibrahim also said South Africa should show the quality of leadership befitting the continent’s weathiest economy.<\/p>\n

“We look up to you. We have a serious deficit. South Africa needs to step up and play a better role,” he said,<\/p>\n

He added that leadership was not about having a seat on the UN Security Council or chairing the African Union. South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was last year elected chairwoman of the AU.<\/p>\n

“This is the least equitable country in the whole world. After 20 years of independence (from apartheid rule), one can ask ‘what is going on here?’,” said Ibrahim.<\/p>\n

His foundation annually ranks African countries according to 88 indicators, and South African had improved in terms of rural development from 31 in 2000 to 22 last year.<\/p>\n

That is a “marked” improvement, but “not fantastic,” he said.<\/p>\n

The telecoms tycoon has set up the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership — the world’s biggest individual prize — awarded to a democratically-elected African leader who has served their mandated term and left office in the last three years.<\/p>\n

Last year it was not awarded for a third time in four years as no suitable candidates were found.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2006, it carries a $ 5 million prize paid over 10 years and $ 200,000 annually for life from then on, with a further $ 200,000 per year available for 10 years for good causes backed by the winner.<\/p>\n

The inaugural prize went to former president Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 2007 and Botswana’s ex-president Festus Mogae won in 2008.<\/p>\n

Former Cape Verde president Pedro Pires won the 2011 prize.<\/p>\n

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