Mo Ibrahim

Experience shows that when political governance and economic management diverge, overall development becomes unsustainable.

If we are to build grassroots respect for the institutions and processes that constitute democracy, the state must treat its citizens as real citizens rather than as subjects.

Remarkably, governments are beginning to embrace the idea that nothing enhances democracy more than giving voice and information to everybody in the country. Why not open their books if they have nothing to hide?

For citizens to become fully engaged in holding their leadership to account, accurate information is required to see where action is needed, to measure the results of policies and programmes, to build support for courageous decisions and to consolidate political legitimacy.

There is a crisis of leadership and governance in Africa, and we must face it.

Africa's success stories are delivering the whole range of the public goods and services that citizens have a right to expect and are forging a path that we hope more will follow.

We measure everything - why not governance?

Almost every country in Africa has now instituted multi-party democracy.

Challenging vested interests requires a government's full commitment.

Young people, all too often, find their interests overlooked and their voices ignored.

Many African people are smarter than me - kids who could have been better. I have no claim for genius.

Women do kids. Women do cooking. Women doing everything. And yet, their position in society is totally unacceptable.