https://www.forbes.com/profile/mohammed-dewji/
Mohammed Dewji
Real Time Net Worth — as of 6/13/17
$1.39 B
Mohammed Dewji is the CEO of METL, a Tanzanian conglomerate founded by his father in the 1970s. It is active in textile manufacturing, flour milling, beverages and edible oils in eastern, southern and central Africa. Tanzania's only billionaire, Dewji operates in at least six African countries and has ambitions to expand to several more. His net worth rose due to an increase in sales in 2015. Dewji retired from Tanzania's parliament in early 2015 after completing his two terms. His Mo Dewji Foundation provides scholarships for poor Tanzanian children. He signed the Giving Pledge in 2016, promising to donate at least half his fortune to philanthropic causes.
Mohammed Dewji of Tanzania
Mohammed Dewji of Tanzania
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongn ... be13b92880
June 10, 2016 @ 06:47 AM 19,784
The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets
Africa's Youngest Billionaire Mohammed Dewji Promises To Create 100,000 Jobs In Tanzania
Mfonobong Nsehe ,
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Over the past several months, Tanzania, the 5th fastest growing economy in Africa, has garnered regional and global acclaim with the arrival of the new government headed by President John Pombe Magufuli. Since assuming office in November last year, President Magufuli has implemented sweeping reforms across various public institutions with a new vision and political ethos emphasizing anti-corruption, efficient use of public funds and a renewed commitment to rapid large-scale industrialization.
Last week in Dar es Salaam, President Magufuli hosted the President's Manufacturer of the Year Awards (PMAYA) – an annual event designed to honor the most outstanding manufacturers in the country. At the event, the president assured guests that his government is rallying behind the manufacturing sector to ensure that the sector contributes over 15 percent of Tanzania’s GDP and accounts for 40 percent of all new jobs by 2020.
Mohammed Dewji - Photograph
Tanzania’s richest man, Mohammed Dewji, who carted away several prizes at the ceremony, and received accolades from the President for being the country’s largest private employer of labor, promised the President that he’ll create thousands of new jobs for Tanzanians within the next few years.
“I am going to invest more than $500 million over the next 4 years to employ over 100,000 people across Africa by 2021 with a significant majority of those jobs coming to Tanzanians,” Dewji said in a conversation with this writer.
Dewji, 41, continues to be one of the key players in private sector-led development in the country, well known for being a leader in local employment and manufacturing in East and Central Africa. His conglomerate, the METL Group, now operates in over 35 industries as diverse as trading, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and petroleum, financial services, mobile telephony, infrastructure and real estate, transport, logistics and distribution.
To date, MeTL Group currently employs 28,000 people, translating to approximately 2% of formal private sector employment in the country, from MeTL Group alone. This makes Dewji the second biggest employer in the country after the Government of Tanzania.
In an effort to expand its core business activities and increase employment across the countries it operates in, MeTL group is currently undertaking several growth and expansion projects, all of which fall into three broad categories: capital expansion, efficiency and value chain, and regional expansion.
“In the space of capital expansion, MeTL will be upgrading machinery, facilities and overall structures in their edible oils, milling, sisal processing, soap manufacturing and match-box making industries. Similarly, we will be undertaking efficiency and value chain projects aimed at improving the overall cost and yield in several industries,” Dewji said.
One of the key projects that will be undertaken is the transformation of their tea for export business into creating consumer packs for domestic consumption. Similarly, they will be taking their milling of wheat flour to the next level by venturing into final consumer products such as pasta for domestic and eventually regional consumption.
Another notable project that MeTL will be venturing into is sugar production through a new cane-processing factory that Dewji is setting up. The plant will not only produce sugar for domestic use but will also generate electricity and ethanol. With over US$ 280,000 committed to this project, the Group aims to employ, at peak production, over 5000 staff alone for this sugar and captive cogen plant in Tanzania.
“This project will not only change the livelihoods of the future employees and surrounding communities, but will significantly change the competitive landscape for sugar in the country, with the aim of making local sugar affordable and accessible to Tanzanians,” the billionaire says.
Lastly, MeTL’s regional expansion plans will be focused primarily in expanding its core business activities to its neighboring countries: Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda. Projects in the pipeline include milling of cereals, edible oils and soap manufacturing, and fuel trading. These regional expansions projects are in line with President Magufuli’s recent charge to Tanzanian entrepreneurs to fully utilize the local market and expand their presence to other East African Community (EAC) and Southern SO +0.42% African Development Community (SADC) countries.
“Naturally, Tanzania’s favorable economic climate and stable political climate will attract international large-scale strategic investments across all sectors. But what is remarkable here is that there are home-grown companies at the fore-front of manufacturing – champions like Mohammed Dewji, who will continue to be instrumental in the future of local private sector led development in country and in-turn become critical players in large-scale job-creation across the region,” a Tanzanian Member of Parliament said to this writer in an email.
On his part, Mohammed Dewji says that President Magufuli’s commitment to manufacturing and job creation will ensure that Tanzania becomes East Africa’s economic giant in a few years.
“We continue to applaud Magufuli’s strategic vision and commitment to support the rapid industrialization of Tanzania. His vision coupled with continuous investment and financial commitments from companies like MeTL Group are instrumental in helping Tanzania achieve its Vision 2025 dream of becoming a middle-income country. Only through home-grown development can countries achieve sustainable prosperity and economic growth,” Dewji says.
June 10, 2016 @ 06:47 AM 19,784
The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets
Africa's Youngest Billionaire Mohammed Dewji Promises To Create 100,000 Jobs In Tanzania
Mfonobong Nsehe ,
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Over the past several months, Tanzania, the 5th fastest growing economy in Africa, has garnered regional and global acclaim with the arrival of the new government headed by President John Pombe Magufuli. Since assuming office in November last year, President Magufuli has implemented sweeping reforms across various public institutions with a new vision and political ethos emphasizing anti-corruption, efficient use of public funds and a renewed commitment to rapid large-scale industrialization.
Last week in Dar es Salaam, President Magufuli hosted the President's Manufacturer of the Year Awards (PMAYA) – an annual event designed to honor the most outstanding manufacturers in the country. At the event, the president assured guests that his government is rallying behind the manufacturing sector to ensure that the sector contributes over 15 percent of Tanzania’s GDP and accounts for 40 percent of all new jobs by 2020.
Mohammed Dewji - Photograph
Tanzania’s richest man, Mohammed Dewji, who carted away several prizes at the ceremony, and received accolades from the President for being the country’s largest private employer of labor, promised the President that he’ll create thousands of new jobs for Tanzanians within the next few years.
“I am going to invest more than $500 million over the next 4 years to employ over 100,000 people across Africa by 2021 with a significant majority of those jobs coming to Tanzanians,” Dewji said in a conversation with this writer.
Dewji, 41, continues to be one of the key players in private sector-led development in the country, well known for being a leader in local employment and manufacturing in East and Central Africa. His conglomerate, the METL Group, now operates in over 35 industries as diverse as trading, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and petroleum, financial services, mobile telephony, infrastructure and real estate, transport, logistics and distribution.
To date, MeTL Group currently employs 28,000 people, translating to approximately 2% of formal private sector employment in the country, from MeTL Group alone. This makes Dewji the second biggest employer in the country after the Government of Tanzania.
In an effort to expand its core business activities and increase employment across the countries it operates in, MeTL group is currently undertaking several growth and expansion projects, all of which fall into three broad categories: capital expansion, efficiency and value chain, and regional expansion.
“In the space of capital expansion, MeTL will be upgrading machinery, facilities and overall structures in their edible oils, milling, sisal processing, soap manufacturing and match-box making industries. Similarly, we will be undertaking efficiency and value chain projects aimed at improving the overall cost and yield in several industries,” Dewji said.
One of the key projects that will be undertaken is the transformation of their tea for export business into creating consumer packs for domestic consumption. Similarly, they will be taking their milling of wheat flour to the next level by venturing into final consumer products such as pasta for domestic and eventually regional consumption.
Another notable project that MeTL will be venturing into is sugar production through a new cane-processing factory that Dewji is setting up. The plant will not only produce sugar for domestic use but will also generate electricity and ethanol. With over US$ 280,000 committed to this project, the Group aims to employ, at peak production, over 5000 staff alone for this sugar and captive cogen plant in Tanzania.
“This project will not only change the livelihoods of the future employees and surrounding communities, but will significantly change the competitive landscape for sugar in the country, with the aim of making local sugar affordable and accessible to Tanzanians,” the billionaire says.
Lastly, MeTL’s regional expansion plans will be focused primarily in expanding its core business activities to its neighboring countries: Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda and Uganda. Projects in the pipeline include milling of cereals, edible oils and soap manufacturing, and fuel trading. These regional expansions projects are in line with President Magufuli’s recent charge to Tanzanian entrepreneurs to fully utilize the local market and expand their presence to other East African Community (EAC) and Southern SO +0.42% African Development Community (SADC) countries.
“Naturally, Tanzania’s favorable economic climate and stable political climate will attract international large-scale strategic investments across all sectors. But what is remarkable here is that there are home-grown companies at the fore-front of manufacturing – champions like Mohammed Dewji, who will continue to be instrumental in the future of local private sector led development in country and in-turn become critical players in large-scale job-creation across the region,” a Tanzanian Member of Parliament said to this writer in an email.
On his part, Mohammed Dewji says that President Magufuli’s commitment to manufacturing and job creation will ensure that Tanzania becomes East Africa’s economic giant in a few years.
“We continue to applaud Magufuli’s strategic vision and commitment to support the rapid industrialization of Tanzania. His vision coupled with continuous investment and financial commitments from companies like MeTL Group are instrumental in helping Tanzania achieve its Vision 2025 dream of becoming a middle-income country. Only through home-grown development can countries achieve sustainable prosperity and economic growth,” Dewji says.
Churches, CEOs & cattle barons: the world's biggest landowners revealed
100. MOHAMMED DEWJI: 60,000 HECTARES
Businessman and former politician Mohammed Dewji (pictured on the left in jeans) is Tanzania's leading landowner and one of the biggest private landowners in Africa. Through his company MeTL Group, Dewji owns 60,000 hectares of land in the country, an area the size of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/homeand ... b9#image=2
100. MOHAMMED DEWJI: 60,000 HECTARES
Businessman and former politician Mohammed Dewji (pictured on the left in jeans) is Tanzania's leading landowner and one of the biggest private landowners in Africa. Through his company MeTL Group, Dewji owns 60,000 hectares of land in the country, an area the size of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/homeand ... b9#image=2
Mohammed Dewji, Africa’s youngest billionaire, kidnapped in Tanzania
The Tanzanian businessman was abducted by unidentified men in Dar es Salaam.
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – A Tanzanian businessman and former member of parliament for the ruling CCM party was seized by unidentified men in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, the regional commissioner said.
Mohammed Dewji, the owner and president of the multi-billion dollar revenue Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd (METL Group), was seized as he arrived for a morning workout at a luxury hotel in the country’s commercial capital.
More...
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/news/east-af ... -tanzania/
******
Who is Mohammed Dewji, kidnapped in Tanzania?
In Africa wealth and power attracts envy and retribution like flies. Mohammed Dewji – the youngest billionaire in Africa – had both wealth and power in spades – but many people are baffled why anyone would want to hurt him.
More...
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/zdnl-mc/2018 ... -tanzania/
The Tanzanian businessman was abducted by unidentified men in Dar es Salaam.
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – A Tanzanian businessman and former member of parliament for the ruling CCM party was seized by unidentified men in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, the regional commissioner said.
Mohammed Dewji, the owner and president of the multi-billion dollar revenue Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd (METL Group), was seized as he arrived for a morning workout at a luxury hotel in the country’s commercial capital.
More...
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/news/east-af ... -tanzania/
******
Who is Mohammed Dewji, kidnapped in Tanzania?
In Africa wealth and power attracts envy and retribution like flies. Mohammed Dewji – the youngest billionaire in Africa – had both wealth and power in spades – but many people are baffled why anyone would want to hurt him.
More...
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/zdnl-mc/2018 ... -tanzania/
*Revealed: Authorities in Tanzania want kidnapped billionaire’s wealth*
Ansbert Ngurumo
18th October 2018
THE twist goes on in the abduction incident of the Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji (Mo), as new developments reveal a silent tug of war between top government officials and the billionaire regarding his wealth.
Close sources to Mo, have informed SAUTI KUBWA that in recent months he was undergoing intense pressure from the government to surrender huge plots of land adjacent to Stigler’s gorge – where the government is planning a 2,100 megawatts (2,800,000 hp) hydroelectric dam.
“Earlier plans to find a legal way of fixing him failed because of his clean record, so they resorted to forcing him to surrender part of his wealth. When he refused they resorted to punishing him this way, seeking ransom,” one of the sources said.
Government sources confirmed the same, adding that the matter had been once raised in a cabinet meeting, with President John Magufuli ordering Land and Settlements Minister William Lukuvi to take immediate action.
One senior minister offered to speak to the billionaire in order to make a smooth execution of the order. But Mo apparently refused to give in. He further told the minister that the same plots of land had been used as collateral for a huge loan from a foreign bank.
“This feed back infuriated the president even further,” one source told SAUTI KUBWA. The president was quoted as saying: “How can he brag as being a very wealthy businessman while he is using our land to borrow money from banks? He must relinquish it… and if he shows arrogance, I will deal with him.”
This president’s quote is similar to his other statements against “wealthy people.” He seems to nurse sadistic feelings against successful people.
And while some government sources had previously wished to distance the central government from this kidnapping incident, recent developments, plus the apparent silence of the president and prime minister, tend to give a clue about the source of kidnappers’ confidence in a highly guarded area, contradictory statements between police and regional authorities in Dar es Salaam, and the government’s refusal to engage external investigators.
Another highly positioned source informed SAUTI KUBWA that three days ago, at about midnight, the billionaire was moved from a secret location to Magogoni “on orders from above.”
The source added: “Certainly, the kidnappers have all blessings from above. Mo has so far refused to give them the ransom they want; so the big man said, ‘bring him here.’ I don’t know what is happening to him after that.”
Sources believe the government will eventually subdue him, and release him on tough conditions any time soon. They are currently planning a safe exit before calling the media to say “we got him.”
Simon Sirro, the Inspector General of Police, is planning to hold a press conference on Friday morning.
This is the first time Sirro will be making a public statement since the billionaire was abducted on Thursday last week at Colosseum Hotel in Oysterbay.
Source: www.sautikubwa.org
Ansbert Ngurumo
18th October 2018
THE twist goes on in the abduction incident of the Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji (Mo), as new developments reveal a silent tug of war between top government officials and the billionaire regarding his wealth.
Close sources to Mo, have informed SAUTI KUBWA that in recent months he was undergoing intense pressure from the government to surrender huge plots of land adjacent to Stigler’s gorge – where the government is planning a 2,100 megawatts (2,800,000 hp) hydroelectric dam.
“Earlier plans to find a legal way of fixing him failed because of his clean record, so they resorted to forcing him to surrender part of his wealth. When he refused they resorted to punishing him this way, seeking ransom,” one of the sources said.
Government sources confirmed the same, adding that the matter had been once raised in a cabinet meeting, with President John Magufuli ordering Land and Settlements Minister William Lukuvi to take immediate action.
One senior minister offered to speak to the billionaire in order to make a smooth execution of the order. But Mo apparently refused to give in. He further told the minister that the same plots of land had been used as collateral for a huge loan from a foreign bank.
“This feed back infuriated the president even further,” one source told SAUTI KUBWA. The president was quoted as saying: “How can he brag as being a very wealthy businessman while he is using our land to borrow money from banks? He must relinquish it… and if he shows arrogance, I will deal with him.”
This president’s quote is similar to his other statements against “wealthy people.” He seems to nurse sadistic feelings against successful people.
And while some government sources had previously wished to distance the central government from this kidnapping incident, recent developments, plus the apparent silence of the president and prime minister, tend to give a clue about the source of kidnappers’ confidence in a highly guarded area, contradictory statements between police and regional authorities in Dar es Salaam, and the government’s refusal to engage external investigators.
Another highly positioned source informed SAUTI KUBWA that three days ago, at about midnight, the billionaire was moved from a secret location to Magogoni “on orders from above.”
The source added: “Certainly, the kidnappers have all blessings from above. Mo has so far refused to give them the ransom they want; so the big man said, ‘bring him here.’ I don’t know what is happening to him after that.”
Sources believe the government will eventually subdue him, and release him on tough conditions any time soon. They are currently planning a safe exit before calling the media to say “we got him.”
Simon Sirro, the Inspector General of Police, is planning to hold a press conference on Friday morning.
This is the first time Sirro will be making a public statement since the billionaire was abducted on Thursday last week at Colosseum Hotel in Oysterbay.
Source: www.sautikubwa.org
Abducted Tanzanian billionaire released in style, website editor threatened
http://sautikubwa.org/tanzanian-abducte ... hreatened/
ABDUCTED Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji (Mo) showed up early morning on Saturday, with police saying they had eventually found him, just as hinted earlier by this website two days ago.
Police say Mo’s abductors had abandoned him at the Gymkhana Club grounds in Dare s Salaam using the same vehicle on a photo earlier released to the media by Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro on Friday morning.
Just as his abduction had occurred in a very well guarded surrounding, his “release” was even done in the most guarded area in the country, just a few metres from the State House, Magogoni – raising more questions than answers.
The State House, which is the official residence of the president, is situated a stone’s throw away from Gymkhana Club grounds where he was “dumped by abductors.” It is a four minutes drive or 20 minutes walk to State House.
In his statement, the billionaire said: “I thank Allah that I have returned home safely. I thank all my fellow Tanzanians, and everyone around the world for their prayers. I thank the authorities of Tanzania, including the Police Force for working for my safe return.”
Not much is expected from Mo regarding this saga, as he has been given conditions before release just as was in the case of artiste Roma Mkatoliki last year. Already, his family has issued a statement that they will not be speaking to the media anymore.
According to sources, this was of releasing was the safest exit his abductors could find, although it was not safe enough to exempt the state from this incident. Insiders have informed SAUTI KUBWA that government authorities are bitter with this publication following its stories that have been shedding light to Mo’s kidnapping, his whereabouts, and linking the state with his kidnapping.
One senior source said: “On Thursday, SAUTI KUBWA made a serious revelation as to the whereabouts of this kidnapped billionaire, hinting that he was in the hands of the government, that he has been harboured at Magogoni, and that it would eventually release him on conditions. This is exactly what has happened. Now, the big man feels embarrassed. He wants to take reprisals, and has ordered the system to deal with close relatives of SAUTI KUBWA editor wherever they are. That is the new saga unfolding. In the process, they are plotting to assail one prominent opposition leader for reasons better known to themselves.”
SAUTI KUBWA was able to find out that they have been targeting Leader of Official Opposition Freeman Mbowe and Tarime Rural Member of Parliament John Heche as possibly the next victims.
http://sautikubwa.org/tanzanian-abducte ... hreatened/
ABDUCTED Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji (Mo) showed up early morning on Saturday, with police saying they had eventually found him, just as hinted earlier by this website two days ago.
Police say Mo’s abductors had abandoned him at the Gymkhana Club grounds in Dare s Salaam using the same vehicle on a photo earlier released to the media by Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro on Friday morning.
Just as his abduction had occurred in a very well guarded surrounding, his “release” was even done in the most guarded area in the country, just a few metres from the State House, Magogoni – raising more questions than answers.
The State House, which is the official residence of the president, is situated a stone’s throw away from Gymkhana Club grounds where he was “dumped by abductors.” It is a four minutes drive or 20 minutes walk to State House.
In his statement, the billionaire said: “I thank Allah that I have returned home safely. I thank all my fellow Tanzanians, and everyone around the world for their prayers. I thank the authorities of Tanzania, including the Police Force for working for my safe return.”
Not much is expected from Mo regarding this saga, as he has been given conditions before release just as was in the case of artiste Roma Mkatoliki last year. Already, his family has issued a statement that they will not be speaking to the media anymore.
According to sources, this was of releasing was the safest exit his abductors could find, although it was not safe enough to exempt the state from this incident. Insiders have informed SAUTI KUBWA that government authorities are bitter with this publication following its stories that have been shedding light to Mo’s kidnapping, his whereabouts, and linking the state with his kidnapping.
One senior source said: “On Thursday, SAUTI KUBWA made a serious revelation as to the whereabouts of this kidnapped billionaire, hinting that he was in the hands of the government, that he has been harboured at Magogoni, and that it would eventually release him on conditions. This is exactly what has happened. Now, the big man feels embarrassed. He wants to take reprisals, and has ordered the system to deal with close relatives of SAUTI KUBWA editor wherever they are. That is the new saga unfolding. In the process, they are plotting to assail one prominent opposition leader for reasons better known to themselves.”
SAUTI KUBWA was able to find out that they have been targeting Leader of Official Opposition Freeman Mbowe and Tarime Rural Member of Parliament John Heche as possibly the next victims.
Africa’s youngest billionaire Mohammed Dewji’s kidnappers release him
Mohammed Dewji, the owner and president of the multi-billion dollar revenue Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd is home safe.
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/news/east-af ... lease-him/
Mohammed Dewji, the owner and president of the multi-billion dollar revenue Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd is home safe.
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/news/east-af ... lease-him/
*Kidnap of African billionaire Mohammed Dewji in Tanzania was a “ Political Warning “ *
The Times London
Tuesday 23 October 2018
At first glance the kidnapping ordeal of Africa’s youngest billionaire appeared to follow a standard criminal script: a snatch by armed men, an appeal for information, a large reward offered before a sudden release nine days later.
Yet celebrations in Tanzania over Mohammed Dewji’s safe return have soured quickly amid growing suspicions that the country’s regime had a hand in his abduction. Certainly, the alleged involvement of military-trained muzungus, Swahili for white men, in the plot, which took place in Tanzania’s most fortified suburb, hints that some state complicity was needed.
Although Mr Dewji, 43, who is estimated to be worth £1.2 billion, served two terms as a ruling party MP until 2015, he has shown little inclination to make the slow climb up the ladder of patronage that is the established route to power and status in Africa. Instead his celebrity is derived from his family’s self-made wealth, his philanthropic work and a stake in one of Tanzania’s biggest football teams.
All of which could present him as a potential threat to the increasingly autocratic and bellicose regime of President Magufuli, 58, known as the Bulldozer for his uncompromising leadership style. Since his rise to power in 2015 opposition figures and journalists have disappeared, been murdered or jailed.
Some sources have suggested that the Dewji abduction was planned not to end in his safe release, but the spontaneous national outpouring of distress prompted a change of plan. Although the government shared on social media platforms appeals for information, the president was quiet on the fate of one of his country’s most famous sons.
Mr Dewji was in the habit of driving himself around Dar es Salaam without bodyguards. His daily routine, which always began with a dawn workout at the Colosseum hotel gym, was a gift to his abductors. They arrived before him in two cars, flashing lights to signal their target’s arrival, witnesses told police.
In his account of the ordeal Mr Dewji told police that he recognised the accents of white South Africans among his captors. He was held, blindfolded and bound, only a 15-minute drive from the Colosseum. Valuable weapons were abandoned in the car, which was set ablaze less than a mile from the presidential palace and police headquarters, which suggests that they were sourced only for that job.
A former soldier with experience of South Africa’s mercenary industry told The Times: “Complicity in the plot at a high level would have been needed for two white foreigners to enter and exit the country without detection.”
That the hotel’s CCTV produced “no useful pictures”, according to police, alarmed opposition politicians and critics. The two cars sped down Haile Selassie Road, a street bristling with cameras and patrol cars guarding homes of ambassadors and senior politicians, yet it took a week until a picture of the getaway car was shared. “The government should release the CCTV footage from the hotel showing the two white people so that the public can support the police to find the abductors,” Godbless Lema, the shadow home affairs minister, demanded.
Critics of the president expressed fears for Mr Dewji’s fate, citing the case of Tundu Lissu, the opposition chief whip, who in September last year was shot outside his home in Dodoma, the Tanzanian capital. From Belgium, where he is still recovering, Mr Lissu said of the case: “Dewji’s abduction is not a normal incident, but this is not the first time that this has happened since President Magufuli came into power.”
Mr Magufuli, who recently assured his party that it would be in power “for ever”, was elected promising to root out corruption and challenge vested interests, but he has become increasingly intolerant of criticism and appears to be inching towards dictatorship.
Mr Dewji, a moderate Muslim who appeals to the impoverished population, particularly its youth, has been keen to show loyalty to the president. Soon after his release on Saturday he thanked Mr Magufuli for his efforts in a tweet. Nevertheless, tensions between the two have been observed.
In his inauguration speech the president singled out the Dewji family’s vast amounts of land and expressed the hope that much of it could be returned to the state. Mr Dewji’s empire, Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd Group, was recently hit with large fines over import tax.
Mr Dewji, a father of three, transformed the business he inherited from his father by buying up factories during a wave of privatisations in the 2000s and is the country’s largest private sector employer. It has interests in textiles, flour, drinks and cooking oil.
https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outl ... reserved=0
The Times London
Tuesday 23 October 2018
At first glance the kidnapping ordeal of Africa’s youngest billionaire appeared to follow a standard criminal script: a snatch by armed men, an appeal for information, a large reward offered before a sudden release nine days later.
Yet celebrations in Tanzania over Mohammed Dewji’s safe return have soured quickly amid growing suspicions that the country’s regime had a hand in his abduction. Certainly, the alleged involvement of military-trained muzungus, Swahili for white men, in the plot, which took place in Tanzania’s most fortified suburb, hints that some state complicity was needed.
Although Mr Dewji, 43, who is estimated to be worth £1.2 billion, served two terms as a ruling party MP until 2015, he has shown little inclination to make the slow climb up the ladder of patronage that is the established route to power and status in Africa. Instead his celebrity is derived from his family’s self-made wealth, his philanthropic work and a stake in one of Tanzania’s biggest football teams.
All of which could present him as a potential threat to the increasingly autocratic and bellicose regime of President Magufuli, 58, known as the Bulldozer for his uncompromising leadership style. Since his rise to power in 2015 opposition figures and journalists have disappeared, been murdered or jailed.
Some sources have suggested that the Dewji abduction was planned not to end in his safe release, but the spontaneous national outpouring of distress prompted a change of plan. Although the government shared on social media platforms appeals for information, the president was quiet on the fate of one of his country’s most famous sons.
Mr Dewji was in the habit of driving himself around Dar es Salaam without bodyguards. His daily routine, which always began with a dawn workout at the Colosseum hotel gym, was a gift to his abductors. They arrived before him in two cars, flashing lights to signal their target’s arrival, witnesses told police.
In his account of the ordeal Mr Dewji told police that he recognised the accents of white South Africans among his captors. He was held, blindfolded and bound, only a 15-minute drive from the Colosseum. Valuable weapons were abandoned in the car, which was set ablaze less than a mile from the presidential palace and police headquarters, which suggests that they were sourced only for that job.
A former soldier with experience of South Africa’s mercenary industry told The Times: “Complicity in the plot at a high level would have been needed for two white foreigners to enter and exit the country without detection.”
That the hotel’s CCTV produced “no useful pictures”, according to police, alarmed opposition politicians and critics. The two cars sped down Haile Selassie Road, a street bristling with cameras and patrol cars guarding homes of ambassadors and senior politicians, yet it took a week until a picture of the getaway car was shared. “The government should release the CCTV footage from the hotel showing the two white people so that the public can support the police to find the abductors,” Godbless Lema, the shadow home affairs minister, demanded.
Critics of the president expressed fears for Mr Dewji’s fate, citing the case of Tundu Lissu, the opposition chief whip, who in September last year was shot outside his home in Dodoma, the Tanzanian capital. From Belgium, where he is still recovering, Mr Lissu said of the case: “Dewji’s abduction is not a normal incident, but this is not the first time that this has happened since President Magufuli came into power.”
Mr Magufuli, who recently assured his party that it would be in power “for ever”, was elected promising to root out corruption and challenge vested interests, but he has become increasingly intolerant of criticism and appears to be inching towards dictatorship.
Mr Dewji, a moderate Muslim who appeals to the impoverished population, particularly its youth, has been keen to show loyalty to the president. Soon after his release on Saturday he thanked Mr Magufuli for his efforts in a tweet. Nevertheless, tensions between the two have been observed.
In his inauguration speech the president singled out the Dewji family’s vast amounts of land and expressed the hope that much of it could be returned to the state. Mr Dewji’s empire, Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd Group, was recently hit with large fines over import tax.
Mr Dewji, a father of three, transformed the business he inherited from his father by buying up factories during a wave of privatisations in the 2000s and is the country’s largest private sector employer. It has interests in textiles, flour, drinks and cooking oil.
https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outl ... reserved=0
Mr. Mohammed Dewji, Recipient of an Honorary Degree in Human Letters, delivers the commencement address to the Georgetow
2022 Commencement Address, Georgetown McDonough School of Business
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=x89kspb7Wgg
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=x89kspb7Wgg