15 Quotes & Sayings By Mo Ibrahim

Mo Ibrahim was born in Cameroun. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Computer Science, he moved to the United States, where he founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, named after him, which is dedicated to improving opportunities for people worldwide. Through the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the Foundation is working to create a more level playing field for African leaders while encouraging social entrepreneurs to make a positive impact on their societies Read more

The Prize money has been donated to nine different organizations that are leading the way in providing opportunities for young Africans. The Foundation is also funding research into issues of under-representation and inequality in Africa through its Mo Ibrahim Foundation Scholarships Programme.

1
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. Mo Ibrahim
2
People never confess to failure. They should. Mo Ibrahim
3
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. Mo Ibrahim
4
Computers are very expensive and they need power, and that can be a problem in Africa. Mo Ibrahim
5
Many Africans are used to a life where they get up in the morning and don't know what they're going to do that day. Mo Ibrahim
6
Literacy in Tunisia is almost 100%. It's amazing - no country in the region or even in Asia can match Tunisia in education. Mo Ibrahim
7
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. Mo Ibrahim
8
There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it. Mo Ibrahim
9
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. Mo Ibrahim
10
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. Mo Ibrahim
11
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.' Mo Ibrahim
12
The issue with international institutions is that there is a crisis of legitimacy. Trust in these institutions is a serious problem. Mo Ibrahim
13
More people smile at me now I'm richer. Mo Ibrahim
14
Botswana had three successive good presidents who served their legal terms, who did well for their countries - three, not one. Mo Ibrahim