Dr. Mo Ibrahim is a global expert in mobile communications with a distinguished academic and business career. After a long career in academia, six years as Technical Director for Cellnet of BT, and founding a consultancy and software company, Mobile Systems International, in 1998 Ibrahim founded Celtel International to build and operate mobile networks in Africa.
Celtel became one of Africa’s most successful companies with operations covering more than a third of the continent’s population and investing more than $750 million in Africa. The company was sold to MTC Kuwait in 2005 for $3.4 billion and Ibrahim pocketed $1.4 billion.
In recent times, he has played a leading advocacy role on issues of African development and governance, through his Foundation and through participation in a range of global initiatives. The Sudanese billionaire also chairs the board of Satya Capital, a private equity fund that invests in African businesses, education and healthcare
Below are six businesses Ibrahim has stakes in through Satya Capital.
Cellulant
Ibrahim owns a piece of Cellulant, a Kenyan digital payments platform that was first established in Nigeria and Kenya in 2004. The Kenyan fintech operates in over 11 African markets, offering digital payment platforms and mobile banking services aimed at those who do not have a bank account.
Wilderness Holdings
Wilderness Holdings was founded in 1983 with a mission to conserve and restore African wilderness and wildlife through ecotourism. It spans across seven countries, including Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Guaranty Trust Bank
Guaranty Trust Bank plc is a leading bank in West Africa with its main headquarters located in Nigeria. It also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom. It is one of the global institutions Mo Ibrahim has a stake in.
Hygeia Nigeria Limited
Mo Ibrahim has shares in one of Nigeria’s biggest comprehensive healthcare providers called Hygeia. The company owns hospitals in Lagos and has two health insurance subsidiaries called Hygeia HMO (Health Management Organization) and Hygeia Community Health Plan. The former is a health maintenance organization providing managed care to over 250,000 individuals through a network of more than 1,200 providers across Nigeria while the latter is a donor-funded initiative that seeks to improve access to quality healthcare for low-income groups in Nigeria, with over 75,000 members, according to ifhafund.com.
Ison BPO
Ison BPO is another business the Sundanese multi-millionaire has an interest in. The company is the largest independent call center operator, with a presence in ten Anglophone and Francophone countries. The company also operates in Asia, specifically, India, and serves over 100 million users as well as clients in telecommunications, government, and retail
Ecoles Yassamine
In partnership with TPG, led by billionaire David Bonderman, Ibrahim’s Satya Capital Ltd. acquired a minority stake in Ecoles Yassamine for $25 million. Ecoles Yassamine is the largest network of schools in Morocco and Tunisia. The school has eleven campuses with over 6,000 students.
