Mo Ibrahim
Sudanese-British founder of Celtel and the Ibrahim Prize for African leadership
- Age
- 80 yrs
- Birthday in 178 days
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2007
- Profile views
- 3
- 0 followers
Sir Mo Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British engineer and businessman who founded Celtel, which brought mobile phones to 14 African countries before being sold for $3.4 billion in 2005. His foundation awards the Ibrahim Prize to African leaders who govern well and leave office peacefully.
Biography
Background
Ibrahim was born in Sudan and grew up in Egypt. He studied electrical engineering at Alexandria University and earned a PhD in mobile communications at the University of Birmingham.
British Telecom
He was technical director of Cellnet, BT’s mobile network, and in 1989 founded MSI, a mobile-network design consultancy.
Celtel
In 1998 he founded Celtel, refusing to pay bribes. It grew to 24 million subscribers in 14 countries and was sold to Kuwait’s MTC in 2005.
Foundation
In 2006 he founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which publishes the Ibrahim Index of African Governance and awards a prize worth $5 million to democratically elected former leaders. He was appointed KBE in 2007.
Timeline
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1946
Born in Sudan
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1983
Technical director of Cellnet
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1989
Founds MSI
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1998
Founds Celtel
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2005
Sells Celtel
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2006
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
-
2007
First Ibrahim Prize awarded
Awards and honours
-
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
2007
Did you know?
-
1
The Ibrahim Prize has often gone unawarded for lack of suitable winners.
-
2
Nelson Mandela was named honorary laureate.
-
3
He is known for refusing to pay bribes.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Mo Ibrahim?
Sir Mo Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British engineer and businessman who founded Celtel, which brought mobile phones to 14 African countries before being sold for $3.4 billion in 2005. His foundation awards the Ibrahim Prize to African leaders who govern well and leave office peacefully.
How old is Mo Ibrahim?
Mo Ibrahim is 80 years old, born on 3 May 1946 in Sudan.
Where is Mo Ibrahim from?
Mo Ibrahim was born in Sudan.
What is Mo Ibrahim known for?
Mo Ibrahim is best known for Founding Celtel (1998); Mo Ibrahim Foundation; Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
What awards has Mo Ibrahim received?
Notable honours include Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2007).
References
- Mo Ibrahim — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Mo Ibrahim — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Mo Ibrahim (Q1374752) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Mo Ibrahim”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Mo Ibrahim.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/mo-ibrahim
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