Quotes from Mo Ibrahim

The Security Council represents the situation from 1945 - you had the Allies who won the war who occupied that. The defeated guys - the Germans and Japan - were out. The occupied countries had no voice. That was fine in '45, but today, Germany rules Europe, frankly. They are driving Europe but have no voice.

It is very difficult for any dictator or any incumbent to falsify the results of an election and just get away with it.

I don't even have a small boat. I don't even have a toy boat in my bathtub. I don't have a biplane, I don't have anything. Those things are toys, and I don't need them to be happy.

You get over your first love by falling in love with something new.

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.

The issue with international institutions is that there is a crisis of legitimacy. Trust in these institutions is a serious problem.

Sudan cannot afford to be on the wrong side of history. The north and south will have to work together, but will they?

Transfer pricing is causing huge problems in Africa.

We need to keep pressure on our own governments to force more and more transparency.

The way forward for Africa is investment.

Before any investor goes into any country, he is looking for the exit door.

Africa should not again face isolation or stigmatisation based on ignorance and unrepresentative imagery.

Many African people are smarter than me - kids who could have been better. I have no claim for genius.

More people smile at me now I'm richer.

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

Educational opportunities have supported the rise of the African middle class, the professional cadre of young people who are now willing and able to contribute to Africa's future prosperity.

Young people are better educated. They grew up in a society which is well connected, well informed. They are able to communicate to one another, to know what is happening.

It's time Africa started listening to our young people instead of always telling them what to do.

Young people, all too often, find their interests overlooked and their voices ignored.

Remember, 2000 was the year of the dot-com bust. The telecom industry lost about $2 trillion in market capital at that time.

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.

All we hear about Africa in the West is Darfur, Zimbabwe, Congo, Somalia, as if that is all there is.

Electoral turnout is falling among the young, and political apathy is on the rise.

The mobile industry changed Africa.