Mo Ibrahim, one of Africa’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, doesn’t have that much in common with Johnny Depp, Madonna or Kate Moss. So I am somewhat surprised to find myself waiting for the Sudanese telecoms mogul turned philanthropist at Cipriani in Mayfair, an Italian restaurant that features regularly in the gossip columns.

There are no A-list celebrities for the waiters to pamper today. The clientele looks cosmopolitan but professional, business rather than glitz. The tables are filling up fast, so I request what passes for a sheltered corner to give my tape recorder a chance above the din of wine-fuelled deal-making.