Festus Mogae

President Festus Gontebanye Mogae served as the third President of the Republic of Botswana between 1998 and 2008. He is the recipient of the 2008 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership and is the current Chair of the Ibrahim Prize Committee.

Before taking office, President Mogae held several roles in the Government of Botswana, including Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning from 1975-1976. He served as Governor of the Bank of Botswana from 1980-1981.

President Mogae is recognised globally as a leading personality in the fight against HIV/AIDS. After leaving office, he founded and chaired the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation from 2008-2020. Between 2008 and 2009 he served as one of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoys on Climate Change. In 2018, Mogae served as one of the key Members of the WHO High-Level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Among other high-level international roles, President Mogae was appointed Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) on the peace process for the Republic of South Sudan from 2015-2018; served as the Chairperson of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA); was Chancellor of Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST) from 2012-2023; Chancellor of AMREF International University in Kenya from 2019-2024; and also served as a board member of the Mastercard Foundation for 11 years, from 2010-2021.

In 2002, the Africa-America Institute awarded President Mogae its National Leadership Award, presented only once before to Nelson Mandela. In 2008, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. President Mogae also holds honorary doctorates and fellowships from several institutions, including the University of Botswana and University of Oxford.