I am not a politician. I am not in politics. I'm just a citizen.
Mo Ibrahim
If we are to build grassroots respect for the institutions and processes that constitute democracy, the state must treat its citizens as real citizens rather than as subjects.
What is a government supposed to do for its people? To improve the standard of living, to help them get jobs, get kids to schools, and have access to medicine and hospitals. Government may not directly provide these public goods and services, but government must be accountable for whether or not they are delivered to citizens.
I don't subscribe to the narrative that Africa is backward because of colonialism.
Intimidation, harassment and violence have no place in a democracy.
Rule of law is the most important element in any civil society.
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.
Mobile phones play a really wonderful role in enabling civil society. As well as empowering people economically and socially, they are a wonderful political tool.
Behind every corrupt politician are 10-20 corrupt businessmen.
The leakage of information means you're going to be able to read everybody's e-mail.
Compared to developed countries, or even to some major emerging countries, burdened by aging populations, financial crises, widening budget deficits, faltering faith in politics and growing social demands, Africa has become the world's last 'New Frontier:' a kind of 'it-continent.'
When Captain Moussa Dadis Camara came to power, too many thought he would hold to his promise to stand down, introduce democratic elections and restore the rule of law.
Africa has 53 countries. And you find that three or four countries in these 53 are dominating the news.
The state and its elites must be subject, in theory and in practice, to the same laws that its poorest citizens are.
What do you do if you're an executive who resigns? You declare yourself a consultant.
Business is global. Countries need to react to that; taxes need to be paid where profit arises.
Literacy in Tunisia is almost 100%. It's amazing - no country in the region or even in Asia can match Tunisia in education.
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.
Remember, 2000 was the year of the dot-com bust. The telecom industry lost about $2 trillion in market capital at that time.
I think we need to look at ourselves first. We should practice what we're preaching. Otherwise, we are hypocrites.
I need to be free, to speak the unspeakable. You can't do that in office.
Everywhere in Africa, you see Indian, Chinese, Brazilian businesses. Other than Coca Cola and the oil companies, it is very rare to see American businesses.
Nobody can come and develop Africa on behalf of Africans.
We cannot expect loyalty to an unjust regime.
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.
There's no point in trying to hoard money after life, so better really to share with people.
Make as much money as you can, but can you please pay your taxes, because this is a major problem.
We measure everything - why not governance?
The African Development Bank is one of the most aggressive advocates of regional integration.
There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it.
Botswana had three successive good presidents who served their legal terms, who did well for their countries - three, not one.
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.
Electoral turnout is falling among the young, and political apathy is on the rise.
The brain drain from Africa has been reversed.
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.
Africa is rich, and why are we poor then if our continent is rich. It is not right.
Nobody messes with China, nobody messes with the United States, or with Europe, because these are really big entities with a lot of clout and a lot of economic power. They have a place at the table.
Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.
When you ask people what they think of Africa, they think of AIDS, genocide, disasters, famine.
The problem is that many times people suspend their common sense because they get drowned in business models and Harvard business school teachings.
I think the Cold War was worse for Africa than colonialism.
After the sale of Celtel, I really wanted to give the money back, and I had a number of choices - to go and buy masses of blankets and baby milk or to go into Darfur or Congo. That would have been very nice actually, but it's just like an aspirin: it doesn't deal with the problem.
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.
Before any investor goes into any country, he is looking for the exit door.
While the Marshall Plan was important for Europe's recovery, Europe's prosperity was really built on economic integration and policy coherence.
Sudan cannot afford to be on the wrong side of history. The north and south will have to work together, but will they?
The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold governments to account and frame the debate about how we are governed.
It was a no-brainer that the cellular route would be a great success in Africa.
If Sudan starts to crumble, the shock waves will spread.
Transfer pricing is causing huge problems in Africa.
