Three African Leaders

Three African Leaders

Introduction

The three African leaders that truly represent the characteristics of a good leadership are John Atta Mills of Ghana, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. They depict the true picture of how a leader should be, in that they have led their countries very well, and in a way that their countries have risen from poverty and crisis, and onto the path to progression and prosperity. Moreover, their leadership qualities have been recognized the world over, and they have been credited with their leadership skills. A good leader is one who leads from the front and shows the way by example. He/she should be able to lead in a way which befits his stature and position.

All the three leaders that will be discussed have contributed largely towards the uplift and prosperity of their respective nations. They are world renowned leaders, and are pioneers in Africa's development, in that their countries' rise has resulted in the continent's betterment, and the people of their respective countries can now look to lead better lives, due to their concerted efforts. Their hard work and dedication has brought about changes in the lives of the people of these countries, besides proving to be a source of recognition for their respective nations. For instance, the Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with compatriot Leymah Gbowee and Yemen's Tawakel Karman, in recognition of their struggle for the safety and security of women, and for the right of women to participate in peace-building efforts. However, all African countries are not blessed with such revolutionary and far-sighted leaders, and they can certainly make do with such great leaders, for a better and prosperous future.

Discussion

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-Liberia's leader

Achievements

One of the top priorities of the Sirleaf administration after assuming office was debt reduction, which was around US $4.9 billion at the time. The US administration granted debt relief to Liberia by waiving all the money it owed ($391 million) in 2007. As a result of the macroeconomic policies of Sirleaf's administration, the G-8, under the leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to provide $324.5 million in order to pay off 60 % of the debt Liberia owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As a result of financial assistance from the International Development Association, the United States, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom, the government got an additional amount of $ 1.2 billion waived in foreign commercial debt, in a deal which saw the government buy back debt at a discounted rate of 97 %. Liberia was deemed ineligible to take part in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative in the year 2008. The country reached completion point of the HIPC initiative in June 2010, thereby making it eligible for its entire foreign debt relief. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pooled in $1.5 billion in order to write off Liberia's multilateral debt. By restricting annual borrowing to 3%, President Sirleaf vowed to ...