JOHANNESBURG - The leadership and legacy of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been honoured by a number of African leaders and international figures.
On Friday and Saturday, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s annual Governance Weekend paid tribute to Annan as it assessed crucial African challenges, and spread the message of good governance to a young audience, in the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan.
Speeches by Ibrahim, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, singer Bono and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf paid tribute to Annan’s achievements and legacy. The ceremony also featured music from Congolese singer-songwriter Fally Ipupa, according to a press release by the Foundation.
The leadership ceremony is at the heart of the 2019 Ibrahim Governance Weekend, the flagship event of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which takes place in a different African country each year.
On Saturday, the forum, which this year focused on immigration and youth unemployment, featured discussions with Ouattara, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Vera Songwe, Founder of the Africa 2.0 Foundation, and Chairman and CEO of Ubuntu Capital, Mamadou Toure, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Akinwumi Adesina, and President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
The weekend ended with its annual concert, bringing the foundation’s focus on good governance to a wider, younger audience through music.
This year’s line-up included Ivorian artists Shado Chris, Safarel Obiang, and Serge Beynaud, legend Youssou NDour, as well as Fally Ipupa.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of leadership and governance in Africa. By providing tools to support progress in leadership and governance, the Foundation aims to promote meaningful change on the continent.
The foundation, which is a non-grant making organisation, focuses on defining, assessing and enhancing governance and leadership in Africa through four main initiatives, including the Ibrahim Index of African Governance; the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the Ibrahim Forum, and Ibrahim Fellowships and Scholarships.