Mohammed Dewji, Keynote Speaker in the Research and Innovation Week

Fri, 21.May.2021 15.34

Mohammed Dewji alias Mo is a businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former Member of Parliament (2005 – 2015) for his home town of Singida. He serves as the President of MeTL Group. Mo is single-handedly responsible for increasing MeTL’s revenues from $30 million to over $1.6 billion between 1999 and 2017. Currently, the MeTL group has investments in textiles, energy, petroleum, agriculture, insurance, mobile telephony, transport and logistics, trading, real estate, and food and beverages (edible oils, milling, carbonated soft drinks, water). The group is conducting business in 8 countries and employs over 28,000 people. MeTL’s operations contribute 3.5% of Tanzania’s GDP.

In 2019, Forbes magazine listed him as the 14th richest person in Africa, with an estimated net worth of US$1.9 billion, also noted as the youngest billionaire on the continent. Mo was also the first Tanzanian billionaire on the cover of Forbes Africa magazine in 2013. In addition to his many endeavours in the business arena, Mo also has demonstrated an exemplary record of contributing to the well-being of the people of his country via the Mo Dewji Foundation which he established in 2014. The scope of his contributions covers education, health, and community development projects.  In 2016, Mo joined the Giving Pledge – an initiative started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates – aimed to address society's most pressing problems by inviting the world's wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving more than half of their wealth to philanthropy either during their lifetime or upon their deaths. Mo is the first Tanzanian and one of the few Africans that have made the pledge in this group of 150+ billionaires, some of whom include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Mark Zuckerberg. Most recently, the President of the Republic of South Africa Hon. Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Mo Dewji as one of his advisors on investment issues. Mo was chosen be part of the South African Investment Advisory Council responsible for the development and implementation of strategies and programs to attract and retain domestic and foreign direct investment to the Republic of South Africa. The appointment took into consideration the role that Mo Dewji has played through his investments in agriculture, manufacturing and transport logistics in a number of African countries, creating over 100,000 jobs in the process. Mo has been offering scholarships to the University of Dar es Salaam through his Foundation. Around 40 students have been beneficiaries of scholarships and 10 students have so far successfully graduated. 
 In the 2021 Research and Innovation Week of the University of Dar es Salaam, Mo serves as one of the Keynote Speakers given his great contribution to industrial development and investments for social wellbeing of Tanzanians and other people in the continent.