Mo Ibrahim
I am not a politician. I am not in politics. I'm just a citizen.Collection: Politics
More people smile at me now I'm richer.Collection: Smile
Computers are very expensive and they need power, and that can be a problem in Africa.Collection: Computers
There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it.Collection: Leadership
The Nobel Prize is worth $1.5 million, but that's not the issue. Do the distinguished scientists who win the Nobel Prize need the money? Probably not. The honor is more important the money, and that's the case with the prize for African leadership as well.Collection: Leadership
For citizens to become fully engaged in holding their leadership to account, accurate information is required to see where action is needed, to measure the results of policies and programmes, to build support for courageous decisions and to consolidate political legitimacy.Collection: Leadership
Botswana had three successive good presidents who served their legal terms, who did well for their countries - three, not one.Collection: Legal
If economic progress is not translated into better quality of life and respect for citizens' rights, we will witness more Tahrir Squares in Africa.Collection: Respect
Intimidation, harassment and violence have no place in a democracy.
I think we need to look at ourselves first. We should practice what we're preaching. Otherwise, we are hypocrites.
Far from being hopeless, Africa is full of hope and potential, maybe more so than any other continent. The challenge is to ensure that its potential is utilised.
While the Marshall Plan was important for Europe's recovery, Europe's prosperity was really built on economic integration and policy coherence.
What do you do if you're an executive who resigns? You declare yourself a consultant.
I think the Cold War was worse for Africa than colonialism.
If Sudan starts to crumble, the shock waves will spread.
I don't subscribe to the narrative that Africa is backward because of colonialism.
Electoral turnout is falling among the young, and political apathy is on the rise.
The brain drain from Africa has been reversed.
Corruption exists everywhere.
Africa is progressing but maybe not in the way you think it is. Even if the overall picture looks good, we must all remain vigilant and not get complacent.
Rwanda really did take very strong steps towards development. I mean, this place is unrecognizable. There's a very good management of economy and resources - it's a success story, and that's great.
Women do kids. Women do cooking. Women doing everything. And yet, their position in society is totally unacceptable.
When you ask people what they think of Africa, they think of AIDS, genocide, disasters, famine.
I left Sudan when I was 25 or 26 years old. If I had stayed, I would never have ended up being an entrepreneur. You can have the qualities, but if you don't have the environment, you just wither away. It's like a fish: take it out of water, it will not survive.
Remember, 2000 was the year of the dot-com bust. The telecom industry lost about $2 trillion in market capital at that time.
Roads are not practical in Africa.
Rule of law is the most important element in any civil society.
I came to the conclusion that unless you are ruled properly, you cannot move forward. Everything else is second. Everything.
I ended up being a businessman unwittingly. I wanted to be an academic; I wanted to be like Einstein.
It was a no-brainer that the cellular route would be a great success in Africa.
Business people get many undeserved prizes - golden parachutes and bonuses even when companies fail. I don't think people should get rewarded for screwing up.
From my father, I learnt kindness and how to talk straight.
People never confess to failure. They should.
Sudan has been an experiment that resonated across Africa: if we, the largest country on the continent, reaching from the Sahara to the Congo, bridging religions, cultures and a multitude of ethnicities, were able to construct a prosperous and peaceful state from our diverse citizenry, so too could the rest of Africa.
Sudan cannot afford to be on the wrong side of history. The north and south will have to work together, but will they?
A narrative that branded Africa as little more than an economic, political and social basket case was not likely to provide the investment needed to drive development.
Increasing extremism - across Africa and the world - must be understood in the context of the failure of our leaders properly to manage diversity within their borders.
The fight against Ebola cannot undermine the fight against poverty.
Africa should not again face isolation or stigmatisation based on ignorance and unrepresentative imagery.
Almost every country in Africa has now instituted multi-party democracy.
Educational opportunities have supported the rise of the African middle class, the professional cadre of young people who are now willing and able to contribute to Africa's future prosperity.
Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.
I don't even have a small boat. I don't even have a toy boat in my bathtub. I don't have a biplane, I don't have anything. Those things are toys, and I don't need them to be happy.
The problem is that many times people suspend their common sense because they get drowned in business models and Harvard business school teachings.
I really don't have heroes in business; I never looked up at business people.
Behind every corrupt politician are 10-20 corrupt businessmen.
In the final analysis, finding a way to do clean business and not to pay bribes actually improves your bottom line.
Of course, Nelson Mandela, everybody knows Nelson Mandela. I mean, he's a great gift not only for Africa but for the whole world, actually. But do not expect everybody to be a Nelson Mandela.
Cape Verde produces good people.
Africa was perceived - it still is to some extent - as a place which is very difficult to do business in. I don't share that view.