Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation

There is no one who can claim to have contributed more to the ongoing political development of Africa than Mo Ibrahim. After working for several telecoms companies over a number of years, he eventually founded Celtel International in 1998. Since selling the telecoms company for $3.4bn in 2005, Ibrahim has worked tirelessly to improve the standard of corporate governance across Africa. Between earning a respected award for his achievements and continually implementing improvements to governance, Ibrahim has been holding leaders in the region to a higher standard. His ongoing commitment to this cause is testament to the power of philanthropy.