The mobile industry changed Africa.
You fly for hours and hours and hours over Africa to go from one place to another.
Many African people are smarter than me - kids who could have been better. I have no claim for genius.
Almost every country in Africa has now instituted multi-party democracy.
The problem is that many times people suspend their common sense because they get drowned in business models and Harvard business school teachings.
Retail banking in Africa is very weak. You can't go to a village and get money from an ATM or visit a branch of the bank. So people have to use the Internet.
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.
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.
Celtel established a mobile phone network in Africa at a time when investors told me that there was no market for mobile phones there.
Africa is underpopulated. We have 20% of the world's landmass and 13% of its population.
Behind every corrupt politician are 10-20 corrupt businessmen.
I need to be free, to speak the unspeakable. You can't do that in office.
It was a no-brainer that the cellular route would be a great success in Africa.
Mexico established a unique three-part governing system shared by the government, the information commission and civil society organisations.
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.
I ended up being a businessman unwittingly. I wanted to be an academic; I wanted to be like Einstein.
The brain drain from Africa has been reversed.
Governance has been at the heart of the work of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations and is a clear focus in its report, 'Now for the Long Term.'
The African Development Bank is one of the most aggressive advocates of regional integration.
Roads are not practical in Africa.
Far from being hopeless, Africa is full of hope and potential, maybe more so than any other continent. The challenge is to ensure that its potential is utilised.
Modern slavery is a hidden crime and notoriously difficult to measure.
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.
Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.
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.
Most of the money I made has gone back to Africa or is going back to Africa.
You get over your first love by falling in love with something new.
Corruption exists everywhere.
I really don't have heroes in business; I never looked up at business people.
Nobody in Africa loves to be a beggar or a recipient of aid. Everywhere I go in Africa, people say, 'When are we going to stand up on our feet?'
Business is global. Countries need to react to that; taxes need to be paid where profit arises.
Not any amount of aid is going to move Africa forward.
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.
African leaders work really under severe limitations and constraints.
Now is the time for Afro-realism: for sound policies based on honest data, aimed at delivering results.
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.
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.
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.
From my father, I learnt kindness and how to talk straight.
More people smile at me now I'm richer.
Remember, 2000 was the year of the dot-com bust. The telecom industry lost about $2 trillion in market capital at that time.
I am not a politician. I am not in politics. I'm just a citizen.
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.
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.
Sudan cannot afford to be on the wrong side of history. The north and south will have to work together, but will they?
Electoral turnout is falling among the young, and political apathy is on the rise.
Every man, woman and child knows about Mugabe, but people say, 'Mogae, who is that?'
I left Sudan when I was 25 or 26 years old. If I had stayed, I would never have ended up being an entrepreneur. You can have the qualities, but if you don't have the environment, you just wither away. It's like a fish: take it out of water, it will not survive.
Rwanda really did take very strong steps towards development. I mean, this place is unrecognizable. There's a very good management of economy and resources - it's a success story, and that's great.
