Festus Mogae

Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born 21 August 1939) is a Botswana politician who was President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was reelected in October 2004; after ten years in office, he stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Ian Khama. He is married to Barbara Mogae, and they have three children: Cheza, Nametso and Boikaego.

Mogae is of Kalanga (Western Shona) descent, from Sowe. This Kalanga group is called Badhalaunda, named after their king, Dhalaunda, and his native language is Kalanga/western Shona.

Mogae studied economics in the United Kingdom, first at University College, Oxford, and then at the University of Sussex. He returned to Botswana to work as a civil servant before taking up posts with the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of Botswana. He was Vice-President of Botswana from 1992 to 1998.

Mogae's party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), retained power in the October 1999 general election, and Mogae was sworn in for a five-year term on 20 October 1999^[1][2] by Chief Justice Julian Nganunu at the National Stadium in Gaborone.^[2] On this occasion, he vowed to focus on the fight against poverty and unemployment.^[1]

Following the BDP's victory in the October 2004 general election, Mogae was sworn in for another term on 2 November 2004.^[3] Mogae promised to tackle poverty and unemployment, as well as the spread of HIV-AIDS, which he pledged to stop in Botswana by 2016.^[4]

On 14 July 2007, Mogae affirmed his intention to resign nine months later.^[5]

Mogae was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 20 March 2008 for his "exemplary leadership" in making Botswana a "model" of democracy and good governance.^[6] He stepped down as President on 1 April 2008 and was succeeded by Vice-President Ian Khama.

Mogae won the 2008 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, and will receive US$ 5 million over 10 years and US$ 200,000 annually for life thereafter. At London's City Hall on 20 October 2008, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated: "President Mogae's outstanding leadership has ensured Botswana's continued stability and prosperity in the face of an HIV/AIDS pandemic which threatened the future of his country and people."^[7][8]

Mogae currently serves as Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Climate Change. In 2010, he joined the advisory board of U.S. nonprofit TeachAIDS.^[9]

References