Mo's-eye-view of Africa

Hats off to the Today programme - or, rather, to Tuesday's guest editor, Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim.

I'm not a fan of the programme's "guest editor" slots: they are supposed to open it up, to show that journalists don't have a monopoly of control of the airwaves, in a sense to democratise it. But the device has never seemed to add much to the programme, rarely offering more than a quirky interview here or there, to illustrate a guest editor's personal predilections.

But Mo Ibrahim - founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Prize - really made a mark. Thanks to his influence, the programme made a serious attempt, albeit rather predictably and without sufficient thought, to get away away from the disasters-and-aid view of Africa and present some of the continent's positives - even though the trail for the programme, with its reference to do-gooders, provoked some criticical listener responses.

It showed once again that  if you want news and current affairs to reflect minority voices, you need representatives of minority communities in decision-making positions; ditto women, ditto Africans.

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