Far from being hopeless, Africa is full of hope and potential, maybe more so than any other continent. The challenge is to ensure that its potential is utilised.
Mo IbrahimRead
Nobody can come and develop Africa on behalf of Africans.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True development in Africa must come from its own people rather than external forces.
Mo Ibrahim's quote emphasizes the importance of self-determination and local leadership in the development of Africa. It suggests that for genuine progress to occur, Africans must take ownership of their own development and not rely on outsiders or foreign entities to drive change in their continent.
Themes
DevelopmentAfricaSelf-DeterminationLeadershipProgress
In practice
Example use cases
In a development conference discussing local initiatives, one could quote Mo Ibrahim to emphasize the importance of African agency.
More from Mo Ibrahim
All quotes →In the final analysis, finding a way to do clean business and not to pay bribes actually improves your bottom line.
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A narrative that branded Africa as little more than an economic, political and social basket case was not likely to provide the investment needed to drive development.
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Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.
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There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it.
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If economic progress is not translated into better quality of life and respect for citizens' rights, we will witness more Tahrir Squares in Africa.
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