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Gunmen Kidnap Mohammed Dewji, Africa’s Youngest Billionaire

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The youngest billionaire in Africa, Mohammed Dewji, 40, was kidnapped this morning by gunmen in Tanzania’s economic capital Dar es Salaam.

Dewji who heads the MeTL Group which operates in about 10 countries with interests in agriculture, insurance, transport, logistics and the food industry, was kidnapped while entering the gym of a hotel in the city.

“Initial information indicates he was kidnapped by whites travelling in two vehicles,” regional governor Paul Makonda told journalists, adding that “this kind of incident is new here”.

Police chief Lazaro Mambosasa said the kidnappers “shot into the air” before bustling Dewji into their car.

He said police were hunting for suspects and had already made arrests.

Born in Tanzania, Dewji studied at Georgetown University in the United States. He also served as a member of parliament from 2005 to 2015.

In 2013 he became the first Tanzanian to grace the cover of Forbes magazine, and was in 2015 named Forbes Africa Person of the Year.