Sudanese Philanthropist Offers World's Largest Prize

On the heels of last week's "fantasy philanthropy" concept intended to generate social innovation, comes word from Forbes of Sudanese billionaire Mohammed Ibrahim's plan for rewarding high-quality indigenous leadership in Africa.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation just awarded its first $5 million (they call it "the largest prize in the world") to Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, for his exemplary leadership.

The catch, according to Forbes which called the idea "as potentially novel as naive," is that leaders are only eligible for the prize after they have left office with no plans to return to public service. "On that continent prime ministers can't expect lucrative book deals or speaking tours after leaving office and, faced with dismal opportunities, often cling to power."

Look at what Bill Clinton is doing to leverage his leadership and Ibrahim's concept could be seen as a deal at any price.

Susan Herr