Prize for African leadership unclaimed

LONDON, June 15 (UPI) -- For the second year in a row, no one has been awarded the $5 million Ibrahim prize for outstanding democratic leadership in Africa, sponsors say.

The world's largest award for statesmanship was established three years ago by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese communications entrepreneur who wanted to help a continent with a history of poor governance, The Times of London reported Tuesday.

This year's prize committee, headed by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, found itself in the embarrassing position of having no one to give the prize to.

"Whether there is a winner or not the purpose is to challenge those in Africa and across the world to debate what constitutes excellence in leadership," Annan said.

Previous winners include Festus Mogae, the former president of Botswana, Joaquim Chissan of Mozambigue and Nelson Mandela, who was made an honorary laureate in 2007.