Rostam Azizi | |
---|---|
رستم عزیز | |
Member of Parliament (MP) for Igunga Constituency | |
In office 1994 –13 July 2011 | |
Succeeded by | Dalaly Kafumu |
Personal details | |
Born | 21 August 1964 59) Tabora Region,Tanzania | (age
Political party | Chama Cha Mapinduzi |
Children | 4 |
Residence(s) | Dar-es-Salaam,Tanzania |
Occupation | Businessman,Investor,Politician |
Rostam Abdulrasul Azizi (born 21 August 1964) is a self-made Tanzanian billionaire,business magnate,economist and former politician. In 2013,according to Forbes Magazine he was the first Tanzanian dollar billionaire with a net worth of over 1 billion dollars,in 2023 he had amassed a net worth of 8.2 billion dollars. [1] and according to Henley &Partners Africa wealth report 2022,and was only dollar billionaire in East Africa. [2] [3]
He represented the Igunga constituency in Tabora Region from 1994 until his resignation in 2011. [4] He was the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) National Treasurer from 2005 to 2007 and member of the Politburo/Central Committee of CCM from 2006 to 2011. Some of the key as an MP he pioneered community health insurance in East Africa and every household in his constituency was provided with health insurance from the Community Health Fund. [5] He also achieved access to water for every resident in his constituency and Igunga Constituency became the first district to have a dispensary in every village and electricity in every ward.
According to Forbes magazine [6] Rostam Aziz of Tanzania owns nearly 18% of Vodacom Tanzania,the country's largest mobile phone company,with 15 million subscribers. [7] Rostam,via Cavalry Holdings,previously owned 35% of the company,but,in May 2014 he sold 17.2% of Vodacom Tanzania to Vodacom Group of South Africa for an estimated $250 million. [8] In 2019 he sold his remaining stake in Vodacom Tanzania through his investment vehicle Mirambo Holdings for USD$ 220 million. [9]
He also owns MIC Tanzania Plc (TIGO Tanzania and Zantel Ltd), [10] Taifa Gas Group, [11] Caspian mining,a contract mining firm in Tanzania,and real estate in Dubai and Oman. Aziz got his start in his family's trading business and then branched out on his own.
Rostam was born in Igunga District of Tabora Region,where he completed his schooling before proceeding to the United Kingdom for higher education. He completed his Bachelor in Economics from Exeter.
During his political career Rostam was appreciated by former Tanzanian president Benjamin William Mkapa in his memoir,for the formation of the National Health Insurance. [12] He worked on improving the water supply in his constituency Igunga,which became the first district to have a dispensary in every village and electricity connection in every ward. [12]
Rostam investments range from telecoms,energy,mining,agriculture,media,real estate,port facilities and services.
His holdings include:
Strive Masiyiwa is a London-based Zimbabwean billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and executive chairman of international technology groups Econet Global and Cassava Technologies.
Black billionaires are individuals who are of predominantly African ancestry with a net worth of at least US$1 billion.
Mohammed "Mo" Gulamabbas Dewji 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 2022,Dewji has an estimated net worth of US$1.5 billion,Africa's 17th richest person and youngest billionaire. Dewji was the first Tanzanian on the cover of Forbes magazine,in 2013.
Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian businessman and industrialist. He is best known as the founder,chairman,and CEO of the Dangote Group,the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $15.3 billion in May 2024,making him the richest person in Africa,the world's richest black person,and the world's 132nd richest person overall.
The Dangote Group is a Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate,founded by Aliko Dangote. It is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. The group employs more than 30,000 people,generating revenue in excess of US$4.1 billion in 2017.
Sudhir Ruparelia is a Ugandan business magnate and investor. He is the chairman and majority shareholder in the Ruparelia Group companies. His investments are mainly in the banking,insurance,education,broadcasting,real estate,floriculture and hotels and resorts sectors.
Naushad N. Merali,CBS was the founder of the Kenyan mobile service provider Kencell along with French media giant Vivendi. Merali became famous in an almost folk tale for a corporate boardroom manoeuvre that earned him a $20million dollar profit in one hour thanks to pre-emptive rights of his stake in private Telecom company Kencell Kenya in 2004. He attended Highway Secondary School in the suburbs of Nairobi,Kenya. As one of Kenya's leading industrialists,Merali brought commercial development in Kenya for more than 30 years and was constantly expanding his businesses throughout East Africa.
Christoffel F. Hendrik Wiese is a South African businessman and billionaire. His source of wealth is consumer retail.
Christopher John Kirubi,born in Murang'a County,was a Kenyan businessman,entrepreneur,and industrialist. He was a director at Centum Investment Company,a business conglomerate,of which he was the largest individual shareholder.
Issad Rebrab,is an Algerian billionaire businessman,CEO of the Cevital industrial group,the largest private company in Algeria,active in steel,food,agribusiness and electronics. In 2019,he was sentenced to six months for tax,banking and customs offenses.
Chief Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr is a Nigerian billionaire businessman,and the fifth richest person in Africa according to Forbes. His company Globacom is Nigeria's second-largest telecom operator and also has a presence in Ghana and Benin. He owns stakes in the Equitorial Trust Bank and the oil exploration firm Conoil.
Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu is a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist. As of 2024,he is the second richest man in Nigeria. His late father,Khalifah Isyaku Rabiu,was one of Nigeria's foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s. Abdul Samad is the founder and chairman of BUA Group,a Nigerian conglomerate concentrating on manufacturing,infrastructure and agriculture and producing a revenue in excess of $2.5 billion. He is also the chairman of the Nigerian Bank of Industry (BOI).
Brookside Dairy Limited,often referred to as Brookside Dairies,is a dairy processing company in Kenya,the largest economy in the East African Community. The company offers fresh pasteurized milk,cream,butter,yogurt,ghee,and long life milk products in Indian Ocean Islands,East Africa,Rwanda and Burundi. It provides products through distribution depots,agents,and sub agents to outlets in East Africa.
Reginald Abraham Mengi was a Tanzanian billionaire,businessperson,philanthropist,and author of the book I Can,I Must,I Will.
Narendra Raval is a Kenyan industrialist,entrepreneur and philanthropist of Indian Gujarati origin. Raval serves as the Executive Chairman of the Devki Group of Companies,a conglomerate in East Africa that manufactures steel,aluminum and cement.
Hassanein Hiridjee is a French-Malagasy entrepreneur. He is the CEO of the panafrican group Axian and a leading figure in the Indian Ocean business world.
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa was a Rwandan entrepreneur,best known as the founder of the Pan African Tobacco Group,the largest tobacco company in Africa. In his later years he fell out with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and left the country. Kagame accused him of funding rebel groups and of economic crimes,and tried to get him extradited from Uganda,leading to a rift between the two countries. The government seized and sold his property in Rwanda. Ayabatwa died in April 2024 in Dubai,United Arab Emirates.
The Pan African Tobacco Group (PTG) is a multinational tobacco company operating in Africa and the Near East.
Rostam Azizi, Tanzania's first billionaire.