A biography for Mo Ibrahimhasn’t been written yet.
“There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it.”
“Modern slavery is a hidden crime and notoriously difficult to measure.”
“Celtel established a mobile phone network in Africa at a time when investors told me that there was no market for mobile phones there.”
“Experience counts in government even more than in business.”
“The U.S. has been a great friend all these years, but as soon as Africa found itself starting to move up, the U.S. is really disengaging.”
“Electoral turnout is falling among the young, and political apathy is on the rise.”
“The brain drain from Africa has been reversed.”
“Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.”
“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.”
“I'm uncomfortable, frankly, with the hype about Africa. We went from one extreme... to, like, Africa now is the best thing after sliced bread.”
“It is very difficult for any dictator or any incumbent to falsify the results of an election and just get away with it.”
“I'm an engineer. I'm a techie, really.”
“What we need in Africa is balanced development. Economic success cannot be a replacement for human rights or participation or democracy... it doesn't work.”
“What do you do if you're an executive who resigns? You declare yourself a consultant.”
“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.”
“Africa's success stories are delivering the whole range of the public goods and services that citizens have a right to expect and are forging a path that we hope more will follow.”
“The African Development Bank is one of the most aggressive advocates of regional integration.”
“I think we need to look at ourselves first. We should practice what we're preaching. Otherwise, we are hypocrites.”
“Positive market incentives operating in the public interest are too few and far between, and are also up against a seemingly never-ending expansion of perverse incentives and lobbying.”
“I never set out really to build a financial empire or to be a wealthy man.”