Mo
Ibrahim

Mo Ibrahim is one of Africa's most consequential entrepreneurs and thinkers. Born in River Nile, Sudan in 1946, he founded Celtel International, which built mobile phone networks across 15 African countries at a time when connectivity on the continent was almost non-existent, connecting millions of Africans to the digital economy. He then founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which publishes the most authoritative index of African governance in the world.

## Celtel And African Connectivity

Celtel's achievement — building reliable, affordable mobile networks across some of Africa's most challenging markets without paying bribes, proving that ethical business practice was commercially viable — transformed both telecommunications and governance discourse on the continent. The company was sold to Zain for $3.4 billion in 2005 in what was then Africa's largest corporate transaction.

## The Ibrahim Index Of African Governance

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation's annual Ibrahim Index of African Governance is the most comprehensive measure of governance quality across 54 African countries, covering safety, rule of law, participation, human rights, and sustainable economic opportunity. Its annual findings drive policy debate, media coverage, and accountability across the continent. entrepreneurship can transform a continent and for creating the governance accountability tools that are giving Africa's citizens the information they need to demand the leadership they deserve.