B Team Leader Dr. Mo Ibrahim discusses the huge business opportunities available in bringing 21st-century infrastructure into the developing world—and the importance of structuring his company, Celtel, to maximize transparency and avoid furthering corrupt government practices.

In 1999, only 7.5 million Africans had cell phones. By 2005, Celtel alone had 25 million customers, and today, there are more than 650 million Africans with cell phones, more than the US and EU combined. But entering into the African mobile phone market was not just a sound business decision. As Dr. Ibrahim points out in this interview, investing in mobile communications infrastructure would help to lay the groundwork for tremendous economic development throughout the continent.