Page 6 - Nile Explorer Issue 12

People

Mohammed

“Mo” Ibrahim

Mohammed “Mo” Ibrahim

ohammed “Mo” Ibrahim is a when he was young, and father Fathi was In 1989 he founded MSL, a consultancy
MSudanese - British billionaire employed there by a cotton company, and software company, which in 2000
businessman. He worked for several and his mother Aida was very keen that was bought by the Marconi Company.
telecommunications companies, before they all get a good education. Originally the company was helping
founding Celtel, which when sold the cellular industry designing their
had over 24 million mobile phone Ibrahim earned a bachelor’s degree networks, before they shifted their focus
subscribers in 14 African countries. After from Alexandria University in electrical to mobile phones in the late 1990s.
selling Celtel in 2005 for $3.4 billion, he engineering. He returned to Sudan MSI had 800 employees, who owned
set up the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to and started working for the telephone approximately 30% of the stock at the
encourage better governance in Africa, company, Sudan Telecom. He moved to point of its sale; Ibrahim says he gave
as well as creating the Mo Ibrahim Index, England and earned a master’s degree employees stock as a form of bonus.
to evaluate nations’ performance. He from the University of Bradford in In 1998, MSI spun off MSI-Cellular
is also a member of the Africa regional Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Investments, later renamed Celtel, as a
advisory board of London Business and a PhD from the University of mobile phone operator in Africa.
School. Birmingham in Mobile Communications

In 2007 Ibrahim was awarded an After some years, when Celtel needed
In 2007 he initiated the Mo Ibrahim long term source of capital, they
Prize for Achievement in African honorary doctorate by the University considered doing an IPO on a reputable
Leadership, which awards a $5 million of London’s School of Oriental and stock exchange, for instance the London
initial payment, and a $200,000 annual African Studies, School of Oriental Stock Exchange. When it became public
payment for life to African heads of state and African Studies, and in 2011 an that they considered a public offering,
who deliver security, health, education honorary doctorate from the University they received a lot of alternative offers.
and economic development to their of Pennsylvania. Many wanted to buy the company, and
constituents and democratically transfer Ibrahim is credited with “transforming Ibrahim and his team decided to sell
power to their successors. Ibrahim has a continent” and is said to be the “most Celtel in 2004 to Kuwait-based Mobile
pledged to give at least half of his wealth powerful black man in Britain”, in Telecommunication Company (now
to charity . 2008 he was ranked first in the annual Zain).

Powerlist of the most influential Black
According to the Forbes 2011 Billionaire Since 2010, Ibrahim has lent his support
List, Mo Ibrahim is worth $1.8 billion, Britons. to the Broadband Commission for
making him the 692nd richest person in Ibrahim was employed by British Digital Development, a UN initiative
the world. Mo Ibrahim was also selected Telecom for a time, and later worked which aims to spread the full benefits
for the TIME “Top 100” list in 2008 and as the technical director for Cellnet, a of broadband services to unconnected
was ranked first in the annual Powerlist subsidiary of British Telecom. peoples. [
of influential Black Britons.
During the early 1980s Ibrahim taught In 2006 Ibrahim created the Mo Ibrahim
He was born on 3 May 1946 in northern undergraduate telecommunication Foundation, founded in London. In

Sudan, of Nubian descent, the second of courses at Thames Polytechnic later to 2007, the Foundation inaugurated the
five children, four of whom were boys. become University of Greenwich. Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement
His family moved to Alexandria, Egypt

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