Computers are very expensive and they need power, and that can be a problem in Africa.

Africa is underpopulated. We have 20% of the world's landmass and 13% of its population.

Tony Blair is paid $500,000 for one speech, and no one asks how he is going to spend it.

If you are African, the more educated you are, the less chances you have of getting a job.

There's no point in trying to hoard money after life, so better really to share with people.

The African Development Bank is one of the most aggressive advocates of regional integration.

When you ask people what they think of Africa, they think of AIDS, genocide, disasters, famine.

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

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

To be frank, I don't think President Obama gives much thought to Africa - or gives much to Africa.

Make as much money as you can, but can you please pay your taxes, because this is a major problem.

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

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

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

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

In a world of growing food demand, Africa is home to two-thirds of the world's unexploited arable land.

Africa has 53 countries. And you find that three or four countries in these 53 are dominating the news.

Now is the time for Afro-realism: for sound policies based on honest data, aimed at delivering results.

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

The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold governments to account and frame the debate about how we are governed.

I think we need to look at ourselves first. We should practice what we're preaching. Otherwise, we are hypocrites.

In the final analysis, finding a way to do clean business and not to pay bribes actually improves your bottom line.

Many Africans are used to a life where they get up in the morning and don't know what they're going to do that day.

Women do kids. Women do cooking. Women doing everything. And yet, their position in society is totally unacceptable.

The state and its elites must be subject, in theory and in practice, to the same laws that its poorest citizens are.

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

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

Mobile communications had been around for a long time, but always as a limited market, constrained by the radio spectrum.

Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.

Literacy in Tunisia is almost 100%. It's amazing - no country in the region or even in Asia can match Tunisia in education.

I came to the conclusion that unless you are ruled properly, you cannot move forward. Everything else is second. Everything.

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

Botswana had three successive good presidents who served their legal terms, who did well for their countries - three, not one.

Women in Africa are really the pillar of the society, are the most productive segment of society, actually. They do agriculture.

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.

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

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

The U.S. has been a great friend all these years, but as soon as Africa found itself starting to move up, the U.S. is really disengaging.

Mexico established a unique three-part governing system shared by the government, the information commission and civil society organisations.

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.

While the Marshall Plan was important for Europe's recovery, Europe's prosperity was really built on economic integration and policy coherence.

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?'

The problem is that many times people suspend their common sense because they get drowned in business models and Harvard business school teachings.

If economic progress is not translated into better quality of life and respect for citizens' rights, we will witness more Tahrir Squares in Africa.

Africa is progressing but maybe not in the way you think it is. Even if the overall picture looks good, we must all remain vigilant and not get complacent.

What we need in Africa is balanced development. Economic success cannot be a replacement for human rights or participation or democracy... it doesn't work.

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.

The Zimbabwean people, like everyone else, have a right to live in freedom and prosperity and to select their leaders through fair and democratic elections.

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.

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.

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