22 Facts About Mo Ibrahim

Sir Mohammed Fathi Ahmed Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British billionaire businessman.

Mo Ibrahim worked for several telecommunications companies, before founding Celtel, which when sold had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries.

Mo Ibrahim is a member of the Africa regional advisory board of London Business School.

Mo Ibrahim has pledged to give at least half of his wealth to charity by joining The Giving Pledge.

Mo Ibrahim was selected for the TIME "Top 100" list in 2008 and was ranked first in the annual Powerlist of influential Black Britons.

Mo Ibrahim was born on 3 May 1946 in Sudan, of Nubian descent, the second of five children, four of whom were boys.

Mo Ibrahim's family moved to Alexandria, Egypt when he was young, and father Fathi was employed there by a cotton company, and his mother Aida was very keen that they all get a good education.

Mo Ibrahim has a bachelor's degree from Alexandria University in electrical engineering.

Mo Ibrahim returned to Sudan and started working for the telephone company, Sudan Telecom.

Mo Ibrahim moved to England and earned a master's degree from the University of Bradford in Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and a PhD from the University of Birmingham in Mobile Communications.

Mo Ibrahim is credited with "transforming a continent" and is said to be the "most powerful black man in Britain", in 2008 he was ranked first in the annual Powerlist of the most influential Black Britons.

Mo Ibrahim was employed by British Telecom for a time, and later worked as the technical director for Cellnet, a subsidiary of British Telecom.

Since 2010, Mo Ibrahim has lent his support to the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, a UN initiative which aims to spread the full benefits of broadband services to unconnected peoples.

In 2006 Ibrahim created the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, founded in London.

Mo Ibrahim contributes to the leadership and activities of numerous other organisations, including the B Team, Council on Foreign Relations, Commission on State Fragility, Global Alliance Foundation, ONE, Open Government Partnership, School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, the World Bank ID4D and the World Justice Project.

Mo Ibrahim is the co-founder and co-chair of the Africa-Europe Foundation, which was established in 2020 to strengthen Africa-Europe relations.

Mo Ibrahim was made Commander of the Order of the Lion by President Macky Sall of Senegal and Commander of the Wissam Arch by King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

Mo Ibrahim has been featured in the Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, The New African Most Influential Africans, Bloomberg Markets 50 Most Influential, the Jeune Afrique 100 Most Influential Africans, He is a member of the Hall of Fame for the 'Powerlist' of influential black Britons.

Mo Ibrahim has received honorary degrees, doctorates and fellowships from a range of academic institutions including the University of Birmingham, Bradford University, Cornell University, De Montfort University, Imperial College London, London Business School, the University of Oxford, Royal Academy of Engineering, SOAS University of London, University of Pennsylvania, and Lancaster University.

Mo Ibrahim was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to charity and philanthropy.

In 1973, Mo Ibrahim married Hania Morsi Fadl, an Alexandria University graduate from the year above him, whom he had known since childhood.

Hadeel Mo Ibrahim is a board member of the Clinton Foundation.