An American business magazine, Forbes has named a Tanzanian business tycoon Africa’s Person Of the Year (POY), for the first time in its 3-year history of evaluating success stories in the continent.
Mohammed Dewji popularly known as MO, Chief Executive Officer of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania (MeTL) won the award in South Africa after beating the wife of South African President, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian book writer Chimanda Ngozi Adichie and Arumna Otei of Nigeria who is also vice president of the World Bank in the final stage of the contest held in Johanesburg Wednesday.
Zuma is also a chairperson of the African Union and Buhari was the first president in Nigeria who initiated the fight against corruption while Adichie is the author of the books that portray Africa’s reality in the world.
Dewji, owner of MeTL, a Tanzanian conglomerate father founded by his father in the 1970s is active in textile manufacturing, flour milling, beverages and edible oils in East, Southern and Central Africa.
His Mo Cola, priced below Coca Cola, competes with Tanzanian tycoon and Africa's Richest list member Said Salim Bakhresa's Azam Cola.
He owns 31 companies and quite a number of sisal plantations across the country. Dewji retired from Tanzania's parliament in early 2015 after completing his two terms.
He supported the ruling CCM Party, whose candidate John Magufulli won the election to become Tanzania's president in late October 2015.
His Mo Dewji Foundation provides scholarships for poor Tanzanian children.
With an asset of $1.1bn worth diversified wealth, the 40-year-old father of three, Dewji is rated by Forbes as the 21st in this year’s list of Africa’s 50 richest men.
The Forbes Africa Person of the Year Awards has since its inception three years ago, attracted the highest calibre of nominees from across the continent.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday night, Dewji said he was dedicating the award to Tanzanian youth he reputed for their contribution to making him rich and to boosting the country's economy.
“This is not my award; it is neither for my wife, father, mother or any member of my family, but for Tanzanians who have been employed in my company or are working in my farms,” he said.
Dewji has been working hard since 1990s and has been providing employment to thousands of youth in his 31 companies and sisal plantations in Tanga, Morogoro and Kilimanjaro, a business he had inherited from his father, the late Gulam Dewji.
MO became a member of the parliament for Singida Urban constituency from 2005 to 2015 under the ticket of Chama cha Mapinduzi.
“In 10 years in the parliament I did a lot. I got a loan of $35m which I used it to construct water infrastructure in Singida municipality,” said Dewji, a graduate of the US Georgetown University who left Tanzania when he was only three-year-old.
He also boasted of spending MeTL funds to sponsor various development projects including construction of 15 schools in addition to only two in his constituency.
But he was also backed by his wife who became a philanthropist in health sector, mainly helping children suffering from cancer diseases through her ‘Tumaini la Maisha’ (Hope for Life) programme.
Mohammed Dewji popularly known as MO, Chief Executive Officer of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania (MeTL) won the award in South Africa after beating the wife of South African President, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian book writer Chimanda Ngozi Adichie and Arumna Otei of Nigeria who is also vice president of the World Bank in the final stage of the contest held in Johanesburg Wednesday.
Zuma is also a chairperson of the African Union and Buhari was the first president in Nigeria who initiated the fight against corruption while Adichie is the author of the books that portray Africa’s reality in the world.
Dewji, owner of MeTL, a Tanzanian conglomerate father founded by his father in the 1970s is active in textile manufacturing, flour milling, beverages and edible oils in East, Southern and Central Africa.
His Mo Cola, priced below Coca Cola, competes with Tanzanian tycoon and Africa's Richest list member Said Salim Bakhresa's Azam Cola.
He owns 31 companies and quite a number of sisal plantations across the country. Dewji retired from Tanzania's parliament in early 2015 after completing his two terms.
He supported the ruling CCM Party, whose candidate John Magufulli won the election to become Tanzania's president in late October 2015.
His Mo Dewji Foundation provides scholarships for poor Tanzanian children.
With an asset of $1.1bn worth diversified wealth, the 40-year-old father of three, Dewji is rated by Forbes as the 21st in this year’s list of Africa’s 50 richest men.
The Forbes Africa Person of the Year Awards has since its inception three years ago, attracted the highest calibre of nominees from across the continent.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday night, Dewji said he was dedicating the award to Tanzanian youth he reputed for their contribution to making him rich and to boosting the country's economy.
“This is not my award; it is neither for my wife, father, mother or any member of my family, but for Tanzanians who have been employed in my company or are working in my farms,” he said.
Dewji has been working hard since 1990s and has been providing employment to thousands of youth in his 31 companies and sisal plantations in Tanga, Morogoro and Kilimanjaro, a business he had inherited from his father, the late Gulam Dewji.
MO became a member of the parliament for Singida Urban constituency from 2005 to 2015 under the ticket of Chama cha Mapinduzi.
“In 10 years in the parliament I did a lot. I got a loan of $35m which I used it to construct water infrastructure in Singida municipality,” said Dewji, a graduate of the US Georgetown University who left Tanzania when he was only three-year-old.
He also boasted of spending MeTL funds to sponsor various development projects including construction of 15 schools in addition to only two in his constituency.
But he was also backed by his wife who became a philanthropist in health sector, mainly helping children suffering from cancer diseases through her ‘Tumaini la Maisha’ (Hope for Life) programme.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN