At the moment, Tanzanian Mohammed Dewji is the wealthiest man in East Africa. As a vibrant business tycoon, Mohammed Dewji happens to be the reputable owner of METL (Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited). Significantly, METL has business operations which span across transportation, agriculture, textile making and real estate.
Mohammed Dewji has built his family business from a $26m trading and distribution company importing goods into Tanzania into a manufacturer of multiple products and one of Africa’s few companies with revenues of over $1bn. His next target is to generate $5bn of revenues by 2020 and employ 100,000 people across Africa.
He acknowledges the head start he received from being born a Dewji. The family business was very successful, essentially a trading house buying and selling soft commodities and finished products from tomato paste and bubble gum to tractors and motorcycles. The family was well off and Dewji was afforded the best schooling before going to Georgetown University.
School
Mohammed received his primary education in Arusha at the Arusha Primary School and finished his secondary education from the International School of Tanganyika (IST) in Dar Es Salam. In 1992 his parents decided to send him to America for his High School years and he was admitted to the Saddle Brooke High School in New Jersey.
It was at High School that Mohammed first started exhibiting signs of leadership by becoming the School President. Being a Tanzanian and holding such position in a foreign land made his family very proud. He was also voted as the Most Accomplished student at the time and it is notable to mention here that his school mate Jeniffer Capriati a very famous U.S tennis player won the same vote in the women’s section.
After finishing his high school studies Mohammed continued with his university education in USA and joined one of the renowned university, Georgetown University in Washington D.C majoring in International Business and Finance and taking Theology as a minor subject.
Georgetown University is famous for its good education. Notable alumni of the University include 42nd U.S President Bill Clinton, Philippines president Gloria Arroyo, Jordan’s King Abdullah and NBA players like Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing
During his time at Georgetown, Mohammed started to analyze his life. He was trying to balance the Western way of life with his native African way of living. He thought that much more could be done for his countrymen through some very basic changes and way of running things. He started to focus and prioritize what he wanted to gain from his education and experience in America. After Graduation in 1998, Mohammed headed straight back to Tanzania and joined the family business. He became Chief Financial Controller (CFO) at Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (METL).
On returning to Tanzania he served as an MP, although that chapter has long closed and he does not foresee a return to politics any time soon. However, Dewji still has strong political views and is a passionate patriot. Tanzania has often been criticised for being slow at adopting regional integration and opening up its markets. This is something Dewji acknowledges but an approach he is also quick to defend.
Marriage
In 2001 Mohammed decided to marry his childhood sweetheart Saira whom he knew since his school years at the International School of Tanganyika (IST). Mohammed and Saira are blessed with three beautiful children Nyla, Abbas and Mahdi. The entire family resides together in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Source: mohammeddewji.com, africanbusinessmagazine.com, naijaquest.com
