Tanzanian tycoon Mohammed Dewji, better known as Mo Dewji, has climbed the list of wealthiest people in African continent from the previous 15th slot to 13th position, according to the latest Forbes' Magazine.
The Tanzanian philanthropist, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2016, promising to donate at least half his fortune to philanthropic causes, has maintained his wealth at the tune of US dollars 1.5 billion.
The president of Mohammed Enterprise Tanzania Ltd (MeTL), was ranked 15 in the previous Forbes list of Africa's dollar billionaires, becoming the youngest dollar billionaire in the continent at the age of 46 years.
According to the list, Mo Dewji is the only billionaire in East Africa who appeared in the list. According to information released by his office, the Tanzanian businessman created 7,000 new jobs, bringing the total number of jobs to 35,000 last year from 28,000 in 2021.
Mo Dewji, who grew up in Singida, and studied finance and international business and theology for his university degree at Georgetown University in the US, has been quoted several times as saying that growing up, he always wanted to become wealthy but as time went by he realised that money was not the most important thing.
"I learned that what is important is how much impact you make in society, the jobs that you create and the lives that you touch," he was quoted by one of the newspapers last year.
Mohammed Dewji is the CEO of METL, a Tanzanian conglomerate founded by his father in the 1970s.
He manages MeTL's more than 126 businesses in various sectors -- food, agriculture, manufacturing and textiles. The company has 40 manufacturing industries.
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METL operates in at least six African countries and has ambitions to expand to several more.
According to the latest list Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, whose fortune dropped $400 million to $13.5 billion, is the richest person for the 12th year in a row, and South African luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert held onto no. 2 for a second year, despite falling $300 million to $10.7 billion.
South African Christo Wiese, who dropped out of the ranks amid an accounting scandal in 2018, has returned after successfully suing retailer Steinhoff.
The lastest report states that Africa's wealthiest people shed a combined $3.1 billion in the past 12 months.
As a group, the continent's 19 billionaires are worth an estimated $81.5 billion - down from $84.9 billion a year ago, despite one more billionaire in the ranks.
Mo Dewji has a passion in football. In 2021 he paid up Sh20 billion for 49 percent shareholding in Simba Sports Club as an investor.
