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Africa’s ‘Youngest Billionaire’ Mohd Dewji Abducted. Who is He?

Mohammed Dewji, a philanthropist and politician, was abducted from Tanzania’s commercial capital on 11 Oct.

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A 43-year-old man, described as Africa's ‘youngest billionaire’, was abducted from Tanzania's commercial capital while he was entering a luxury hotel for his routine workout, police said on Thursday, 11 October.

The police have arrested three people in connection with the incident, BBC reported. Two of the abductors are believed to be foreign nationals. However, the official motive behind Mohammed Dewji’s abduction remains unclear.

Dewji was kidnapped by two masked gunmen who fired into the air before driving away from the hotel in Dar es Salaam, Regional Police Commander Lazaro Mambosasa said.

Mambosasa was quoted by local news outlet Mwananchi as saying that following the abduction, the police had tracked down and gotten 12 suspects in custody, including the hotel's security manager.

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Police tightened security at all border points and airports to ensure that the two white men who were seen on surveillance video were not sneaking out of the East African nation, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda said.

Forbes magazine in 2016 put Dewji’s wealth at $1.5 billion. And in 2017, it said that Dewji was Africa’s youngest billionaire.

Dewji’s Rise to Billions

Dewji’s rise to the label of “billionaire” was a result of his turning his family business from a wholesale and retail enterprise into a pan-African conglomerate, BBC reported.

Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (MeTL), a Tanzanian conglomerate that was founded by his father in the 1970’s, has interests in textile manufacturing, flour milling, beverages and edible oils panning across at least six different African states.

Dewji, an alumnus of Georgetown University, Washington, had returned to Tanzania to work in the company, after graduation. He worked at the company for two years and was elevated to being the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). His idea to acquire loss-making companies inexpensively and turn them into profit centers by trimming personnel expenses, is what led him to start earning the big bucks, according to reports.

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Dewji- A Politician & Philanthropist

Dewji’s interests didn’t end at business.

In October, 2005, Tanzania had held its third multi-party elections. Dewji decided to try for the parliamentary seat and was chosen by CCM to stand as a candidate for Singida Urban. According to this same report, Dewji won 90% of the votes in the general elections and was sworn in as an MP for Singida Urban constituency on 29 December 2005. Following his election, Dewji served as MP for 10 years, before officially resigning from politics in October, 2015.

A claimed philanthropist, Dewji, in 2016, had pledged to donate at least half of his extensive fortune to charity, Forbes reported

Dewji’s name is also associated with football, as he is one of Tanzania's biggest football teams, Simba’s official sponsors.

(With inputs from The Associated Press)

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Topics:  Africa   Abducted 

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