Abdoulaye Wade (2003)
This years Liberal Internationals Prize for Freedom has been awarded to Maitre Wade, President of Senegal, to honour his lifelong achievements in pursuit of liberal democracy in Senegal. Maitre Wade was a pioneer of opposition politics in Senegal and founder and leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party. He has spent much of his life campaigning against the one-party rule by the socialists since Senegal gained independence from France in 1960. Wade contested the office of the presidency for over 20 years. He first ran in the presidential race in 1978. In the course of this campaign he was in exile and repeatedly imprisoned, but also served as an MP on the National Assembly and even as a minister in two coalition governments during the 1990s. He was elected President of Senegal in March 2000, at the age of 74. His victory ended 40 years of de facto one-party rule by the Socialist Party.
Abdoulaye Wade was born in 1926 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. He studied at the University of Besançon in France, where he read psychology, sociology, economics, and law. After qualifying as a lawyer and obtaining a doctorate, he embarked on an academic career, teaching at the universities of Boston, Paris, Dakar, and the Sorbonne. He worked as a barrister at the Court of Appeal and was appointed Dean of the faculty of Law and Economics at the University of Dakar.
Under leadership of President Wade, Senegal is championing human rights and the rule of law and continues to make measurable progress towards building a modern society based on a liberal agenda; sustained economic growth, improving living conditions, the provision of education and the reduction of poverty. Senegal continues to enhance and strengthen it's democracy by safeguarding a free and dynamic multi-party system and by maintaining an institutional environment that favours the growth of numerous independent media and remains deeply committed to a culture of tolerance and ethnic and religious harmony. In this way, Senegal is committed to playing a constructive and leading role in the West African region and throughout the continent, that ensures peace and stability. President Wade is determined to aid in the prevention, management and resolution of the numerous conflicts that beleaguer Africa, so that the continent may enjoy lasting peace. The President plays an active role in preventing the deterioration of African states paralysed by armed conflicts and both ethnic and religious confrontations.
In economic terms, President Wade is one of the co-founding leaders of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development),which is a combination of his 'Omega' plan and the South African 'MAP' (Millennium African Program). The NEPAD is a vision for Africa's long term development and was conceived and developed by African leaders as an integrated strategic development plan to enhance growth and reduce poverty in Africa. The primary aim of NEPAD is to eradicate poverty in Africa and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable development and thus halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process.
What makes NEPAD special is the strong emphasis on democracy and governance and that NEPAD is a process led by the Africans themselves.
Islam and the West
(in English)
L'occident et l'Islam
(in French)