'MO' eager to see Africa as a donor

GOTHATAONE MOENG & BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writers | Monday May 13, 2013 00:00

 

Ibrahim, a global expert in mobile communications and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said he believes that with a little self-confidence, Africa can achieve this. He was speaking on Saturday in Gaborone at the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation dinner, where he was the guest speaker.

Ibrahim said that making Africa a better continent starts with good governance and a change in mentality of the people.'Instead of looking forward to a life of desk and a tie, and looking for a job with the government, young people should be going out there and creating their own jobs, and creating their own businesses,' he said.

Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel International, as well as the founding chairman of Satya Capital Limited. He said that Africa has a rich resource in its people. The Sudanese-born businessman said there was nothing wrong with the African people, just that the confidence that they too, can make it was needed to make things happen.

That Africa is perceived as a sick and malnourished continent, he said was proved to the contrary during the London Olympics when 'Africans were strong, run faster than anyone and jumped higher'.

Ibrahim said it is important to re-look at tax regulations and to bring up 'accountancy based theft' perpetuated by some global companies. He lamented that some global companies that trade in billions do not pay taxes, and instead store 'trillions of dollars' in tax havens. He said this practice has hurt European countries as their economies are now suffering. He said it also hurts Africa.

Ibrahim offered a surprising view when he said that the Cold War, rather than colonialism, was 'our darkest era' as a continent. The Cold War a period dated between 1947 and 1991 was a sustained state of political and military tension between the US (and its allies) and the Soviet Union (and its allies.) over the other's possession of nuclear weapons.

Ibrahim said in his view, colonialism was much better as Africans had some control over their lives.The Mo Ibrahim Foundation pledged support of P1 million to the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation at the event.