The 42-year-old is the chief executive and


leading shareholder of the MeTL Group, a family-owned Tanzanian conglomerate with operations in manufacturing, agriculture, haulage, storage distribution, trading, and real estate. It is one of the largest industrial conglomerates in east Africa, with annual revenues of $1.5 billion and a workforce of more than 20,000 people. Since MeTL Group already contributes 3.5% of Tanzania’s GDP, it is fast outgrowing national boundaries, working across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Dubai. Dewji, who is popularly referred to as “Mo”,


is the third generation of a family of Tanzanian entrepreneurs. His grandmother owned a small trading shop which she operated out of her home in Singida, a sleepy town in Tanzania’s central region. From her modest residence, which was made from mud and sand, she peddled everything from sugar and rice to matchboxes and spices. “She was not particularly rich, but she was


very entrepreneurial and had a very strong work ethic,” Dewji says. “She would be the first to wake up very early


in the morning, clean the house, prepare food for the family and then open for business till the late evening.” His father, Gulam Dewji, would soon


take over the business, but adopted a more aggressive approach. He began importing soft commodities into Tanzania using family savings and credit facilities. By the mid-1970s, he had turned his mother’s shop into a thriving import-export business. Dewji often credits his father with providing


the business training pivotal to his success. “My father had been training me for business


since I was 11 years old. He taught me how to do business. I remember that even as a kid, whenever there was a school holiday, he would compel me to follow him to work. He would tell me ‘Mohammed, this is family business. You need to learn the ropes’.”


Top: Mohammed “Mo” Dewji, 42, is hailed as Africa’s youngest billionaire, worth $1.3 billion. He offers his entrepreneurial advice and positive views on life to almost half a million Twitter followers


ISSUE 72 | 2018


Playing a different game Dewji attended the International School of


Tanganyika in Dar es Salaam. At school, he and his siblings played tennis, football, and golf. Golf was his favourite. The young Dewji spent several hours every week on the city’s course.


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