Mohammed Dewji

Mohammed "Mo"Gulamabbas Dewji (born 8 May 1975) is a Tanzanian billionaire businessman and former politician. He is the owner of MeTL Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate founded by his grandmother, developed by his father in the 1970s. Dewji served as Member of the Tanzanian Parliament for Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from 2005 to 2015 for his home town of Singida. As of October 2024, Dewji has an estimated net worth of US$1.8 billion, Africa's 17th richest person and youngest billionaire. Dewji was the first Tanzanian on the cover of Forbes magazine, in 2013. Quotes Success will always come to those that put in hard work. With shortcuts you’ll never truly appreciate your accomplishments in life. Business as usual will never lead to growth and development. Only through innovation and change will you see real progress! Your credibility is one of the most fundamental attributes to have. With it, you will grow. Without it, you will consistently struggle. Always strive for excellence in life and never make room for mediocrity. Set your standards high and your efforts shall be rewarded. Never let the negativity of others affect your goals. Life is too short to get derailed by people that do not contribute to your growth! The speed of your progress doesn’t matter. As long as you’re moving forward, you’re one step closer to your goals! I believe all dreams can come true. If we truly want them. If we’re truly patient. And if we have the courage to pursue no matter what! Self-reflection is integral to personal growth. Pay attention to your actions and thoughts because without growth there is no progress. One of the hardest actions in life is patience. It tests loyalty to your goals & your endurance while you wait for positive outcomes.” Every “good” and “bad” experience in life will teach you something. Choosing how to learn from your past shapes who you are today. Success isn’t measured by what you earn, but by what you learn along the way. Every challenge and chapter has taught me resilience, faith, and purpose. At 50, my goal is to give more, empower others, and help build the next generation of African entrepreneurs Invest your time in things that will help you grow and develop. Life is too short to entertain negative energy and conversation. Credibility comes when you do what you say you will do. When you pray, have faith in God. That is, be ready for anything. What is bound to happen will happen if it is the love of God. What is bound not to happen will not happen if it is the love of God. He knows what is best for us, and that is what removes doubt from us in our daily life. Be careful of someone who removes responsibility from themselves for something they are responsible for. You can't know what you can until you try. The challenge is only as good as your opponent. And your opponent is only as good as you allow them to be. A positive attitude is central to a peaceful mind. In life we may not control every outcome but we can master the energy around us. Many things in life may attempt to derail you from your goals but don't lose focus. Plans may change but never the destination. Being able to face failure, consistently manage risk and succeed after adversity is what makes an entrepreneur. In a week I use an average of 100hrs working except for Sundays. This gives me plenty of room to get a lot done and sees my business expanding.It doesn’t mean that I don’t like to do other stuff outside work, but I prioritize my goals so I can get where I am aiming for. You can also arrange your working timetable properly by making sure that you wake up early so you can get enough time to sort your daily routine but also to avoid spending your time on doing things outside your focus. We live in the world that is full of people with the eyes of envy, sedition, fitna, and full of jealousy! Make sure you are always with God so that people with bad eyes cannot have a chance to spread evil in the middle of your life steps (health, education, marriage, business) Effort does not annul the power of God. There's always something to be thankful for no matter what you went through. When you pray, you have faith in God. So you're ready for anything. What’s meant to happen, will happen, if God wills. He knows what is best for me, so that takes a lot of pressure off me as a person in my daily life. In Islam, women don’t need to be empowered by men, they‘re already empowered by God. You are never too old to learn. The one who is ahead is ahead; the one who follows must make an effort. Patience attracts happiness! A person who desires to rise must stay awake. Seize any opportunity in your day to be productive! Kindness does not go rotten. God doesn't give us a test we can't handle. Be patient! Everything we're going through will prove to be something we will overcome. Everyday we're given an opportunity to make a positive impact on the people and communities that surround us. What was your impact today? Always perform like you’ve never lost! Because then, your actions and attitude will consistently reflect success. My journey began in 1999, when I returned to Tanzania and joined my father’s business. At that time, his enterprise was generating about $30 million in revenue. This year, we are on track to reach almost $1.2 billion. Today, MeTL contributes 3.5 per cent to Tanzania’s GDP and accounts for 5 per cent of all formal employment in the country. With a workforce of 40,000, we have essentially grown the company 30-fold. How did I do it? The formula was one of intense discipline and clear vision. I borrowed initial capital from my father, invested it strategically, and focused heavily on coordinating our investments to ensure they scaled across the wider economy. It was about taking a solid family foundation and building a global-standard conglomerate upon it. In an interview Georgetown was transformative because it is a pressure cooker of excellence. It humbles you. No matter how smart you think you are, you quickly realise you are surrounded by people who are even smarter. The grading system alone is a lesson in high-stakes competition. In most places, 91 per cent is an 'A', but at Georgetown, only the top 6 per cent of the class receives that grade. If you score a 92 per cent, but six other students score higher, you get an A-minus. That environment forces you to be relentless. Beyond academics, the setting is incredibly cosmopolitan. You walk the same halls as figures like Bill Clinton and King Abdullah of Jordan. We learned from global legends like Madeleine Albright—who taught at Georgetown before and after serving as US Secretary of State—and Henry Kissinger. Most US ambassadors are products of Georgetown. I always had a strong academic base from my schools in Tanzania, but Georgetown took that work ethic and refined it into a globally competitive edge. It taught me that to lead a billion-dollar group, you must be prepared to work harder and think faster than everyone else in the room. In an interview My journey actually began on Wall Street. After graduating, I landed a coveted position with JP Morgan in New York. On paper, it looked like an ultimate dream, but the reality was incredibly gruelling. I was earning a $40,000 salary with a $20,000 bonus, yet I was working 100 hours a week. New York’s cost of living was—and still is—relentless. Between heavy taxes and paying $2,500 a month for a tiny room in Manhattan, I found myself with almost nothing left for basic necessities. It reached a point where I had to call my father for financial support. His response was a major wake-up call; he told me plainly that I was wasting my time and potential in America and that it was time to return home. I heeded his call in 1999, returned to Tanzania, and joined the family business. That decision was the true turning point in my life. In an interview There are three people who have fundamentally defined who I am today: My father my idol and mentor. He provided the direction and the initial platform that allowed me to become who I am. From him, I learned the aggressive drive and strategic discipline necessary to build an industrial empire. My mother represents the soft side of life that is so often overlooked in business. While my father is driven and sometimes short-tempered, my mother is remarkably calm—someone who chooses peace over conflict. Whenever I faced a crisis, her prayers and quiet support were my anchor. She taught me the value of empathy and patience. Leadership requires immense personal sacrifice, and my wife is the one who carries that burden with me. She raised our children while I was away in Parliament in Dodoma, on the ground in Singida, or travelling abroad for business. Even now, I often leave before the family wakes and return long after they are asleep, only to find her still waiting for me. I am a successful man only because I have had the unwavering support of these three individuals. In an interview My advice is simple, but firm: you cannot become wealthy overnight. The road to glory is constructed brick by brick; there are no shortcuts. To attain lasting success, you must embody discipline, hard work, honesty, and credibility. You cannot simply “talk the talk”; you must “walk the walk.” You need a clear strategy and a roadmap that defines exactly where you want to go, and then you must have the stamina to implement it effectively. Furthermore, I believe we are an incredibly lucky generation. If you are an entrepreneur in Tanzania, East Africa, or Africa as a whole, you are in the right place at the right time. While regions like Europe face immense stagnation and uncertainty, Africa is the frontier of world growth for the next decade. Do not look elsewhere for opportunity. Put your head down, develop a unique idea, and work relentlessly to build it. You are already standing on the continent of the future—now you must discipline yourself to lead it. In an interview My message is one of profound gratitude and love. I deeply love the people of Singida; not a single day passes without thinking about my constituency and how to further improve the lives of the people there. Serving them gives me a level of satisfaction that business alone—no matter how successful—simply cannot provide. I am aware that they pray for me, and I, in turn, pray for them every day. My only wish is that God continues to give me a big heart and the strength to continue serving them, giving back to the very place where my story began. External links Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople from Tanzania Category:Politicians from Tanzania Category:1975 births