Today we are announcing the 1993 winners of the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. In the last decade of this century, at a time of enormous challenge, what the world longs for and needs is true, authentic leadership leadership not just by people who have been elected to high office, but leadership by thousands of men and women, in every sector of society, in every town and village, at all ages and education levels.
Leadership is the pivotal force behind all great achievements in human history.
They are the individuals who work at the frontier where tomorrow is taking shape. The region of the world where tomorrow is taking shape the fastest, and where the challenges are greatest, is Africa. The essence of leadership has been studied for thousands of years, perhaps because it is both rare and vital to human progress. Though there are many ways to define leadership, I think most would agree that leadership must include three essential elements. Leaders must possess vision, they must bring to that vision essential human qualities, and they must successfully translate that vision into reality.