133 Quotes by Mo Ibrahim

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.

Nobody can come and develop Africa on behalf of Africans.

If we cannot accurately measure poverty, we surely cannot accurately measure our efforts to tackle it.

Celtel established a mobile phone network in Africa at a time when investors told me that there was no market for mobile phones there.

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.

Business is global. Countries need to react to that; taxes need to be paid where profit arises.

From my father, I learnt kindness and how to talk straight.

I ended up being a businessman unwittingly. I wanted to be an academic; I wanted to be like Einstein.

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.