Ibrahim prize winner

The panel's decision was unanimous. The 77-year-old Pires had "distinguished himself as a credible leader who really served the interests of his people, the interests of his country and promoted the economic and social development of his country," said Salim Ahmed Salim, president of the jury and former president of Tanzania.

Under President Pires' presidency, Cape Verde became the second African country to be taken off the United Nations' list of least developed countries.

"He moved his country - a country which had very limited resources or no resources at all to a situation where it is accepted internationally, by the IMF and the World Bank, as a country which has made considerable progress," Salim told Deutsche Welle.

Pires' Cape Verde, the jury continued, was acknowledged for progress in the fields of human rights, democracy and good governance. Above all, Pires had not used his position in power either to enrich himself or to do something for the benefit of his group, clique or party, Salim said.

"All the time he did it in the interests of the people of Cape Verde as a whole," he said.

A fighter for independence and democracy

Last year already, Pires came close to receiving an award: he came second on the East African Magazine's list of Africa's best presidents, after Navinchandra Ramgoolam from Mauritius. It was a further indication of his good work in Cape Verde, which is one of a few African states that could one day meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The Ibrahim Prize is for now the most significant recognition of Pires' career.

"It's a reward for my life commitment," said a proud Pires after he heard the news. After he first became involved in politics 50 years ago, he said, he never did anything "but politics."

Born on April 29, 1934, Pires left his home country Cape Verde - which was a Portuguese overseas province at the time - to study in Lisbon. Soon afterwards he was conscripted by the Portuguese air force. When the war of independence broke out in Angola in 1961, Pires was inspired by the freedom movement. He left Portugal for Guinea-Bissau, where he joined the PAIGC, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.

When the isles finally became independent in 1975, Pires became prime minister. He stayed in office until 1991, when Cape Verde introduced a multi-party system. For 10 years, he was a prominent member of the opposition, until he decided to run for the presidency. During all of this time, his motivation was to work toward "the good in life: for my fellow countrymen, for Africans and for humanity," he said.

Work, honesty and loyalty

The Ibrahim Prize is awarded by the London-based Mo Ibrahim Foundation. It's supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically-elected leader. But there has been no winner for the past two years, because the prize committee decided there had been no credible candidate, according to the prize's founder, Sudan-born entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim.

"We'll have a winner when there is a worthy winner and that is the accountability of our work," he said.

The prize, worth $5 million (3.6 million euros), is awarded over a decade, followed by $200,000 annually for life thereafter. It's the world's largest financial prize for individuals. Previous winners have included the former presidents of Botswana and Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano.

Pires stepped down in August 2011 after two terms as president. Leaving office voluntarily is one of the criteria for the prize. Too many African leaders stay in power for too long, according to Mo Ibrahim.

"If we see people entrenched, who refuse to leave office - we've seen examples of people staying in office for 40 years in Libya, or 30 years in Cairo - then of course the public reaction will be more violent," he said. "What we hope for is peaceful transition and progress because that produces less turmoil in society."

The London jury welcomed Pires' decision not to run for presidency again this year. Today, Jorge Carlos Fonseca is Cape Verde's president. This gives Pires time to invest in other projects, and this time around he said his motivation is "work, honesty and loyalty regarding my goals."

Authors: Marta Barroso, Yusuf Saumu / nh
Editor: Rob Mudge