Africa’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’..Masiyiwa and Dangote lead the fight

Nigel Pfunde

The continent of Africa has for long possessed ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in the form of poverty, hunger, diseases and inflation.

This was caused mainly by the political history and liberation struggles that left the economies facing challenges.

However, despite the challenges that Africa has faced in every realm, there are several individuals who have stood out and went on to amass wealth through providing services that fight these ‘weapons of mass destruction’.

Express Mail Zim picked out two astute businessmen who have tried by all means possible to help Africa through their business ventures that add value to their respective countries of birth and beyond.

These two men are Aliko Dangote from Nigeria and Strive Masiyiwa from Zimbabwe.

The two businessmen were born in the same era with Strive being welcomed to the beautiful land of Zimbabwe (then called Rhodesia) in 1961 – four years before the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by colonial master Ian Smith!

Dangote was born four years earlier in the Kano State of Nigeria.

As of January 2015, Dangote had an estimated net worth of $18.6 billion while Strive is at 1, 4 billion according to Forbes.

Both businessmen have almost similar backgrounds although they decided to venture into different sectors .

The common denominator in their business ventures is that they all champion the betterment of the ordinary African through employment creation and contribution to their respective countries of origin’s Gross Domestic Product.

Both businessmen did not come from poor backgrounds and yet they did not act like spoiled brats who waited for ‘daddy’s money’ and flossed it in the clubs like most of today’s youths who flaunts their parents’ hard earned money!

Strive ‘s father was a miner in Zambia where he had gone in search of greener pastures.

His mother was an entrepreneur with interests in retail sales, small-scale farming, and transportation.

At the age of 12, Strive migrated to the United Kingdom where he went to a private school before studying towards a degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University of Wales in 1983(Cum Laude).

Patriotic as he was ,he did not forget his roots.

He flew back to the country in 1984 to invest the knowledge he had gained abroad and try to advance the country.

That was much he could do for his country and he did not dare ask what the country could do for him.

He worked for the Post Telecommunications Corporation (PTC)- which is now Tel One.

In 1998 , he founded his telecommunications company Econet and won a licence to operate cell phone services in the country and he has never looked back.

He owes his success to God and urged fellow Africans not to remain “baby Christians”

“The licence came when I was a baby Christian.
“You must not be a baby Christian all your life. “Sadly, some people remain baby Christians,” he was quoted as saying in a recorded testimony to a packed congregation in South Africa.

In his attempt to fight the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in Africa, Strive funds one of the largest orphan care programs in Africa, run by Capernaum Trust.

Established in 1999, initially as the social investment arm of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the Trust is currently responsible for over 40,000 orphans across Africa.

During the days of the ugly hand of the deadly Ebola disease descended its mass destruction on Africa, Strive along with Dangote, Patrice Motsepe and other wealthy African business leaders mobilised resources to fight the epidemic.

They agreed to establish a fund under the auspices of the African Union Foundation through a facility managed by the African Development Bank, to boost efforts to equip, train and deploy African health workers to fight the epidemic.

Through the Capernaum Trust , his wife Tsitsi has managed to pay tuition fees for Zimbabwean disadvantaged students on scholarships.

There were speculative reports that coincidentally a previously pot hole riddle road that passes through his in-laws’ house in Hillside was repaired in record time.

Interestingly, this came as good news for people who like outdoor braais as the road leads to the popular Harare barbeque spot popularly known as Kuhuku!!

Dangote – Africa’s top donor

Like Strive, Dangote is also a soldier in the same struggle to champion the growth of Africa’s economy and assist the underprivileged thus earning him the nickname ‘Top Donor’ in some circles.

How did he earn his wealth?

Well , like Strive he was not born in a poor family so this is not a typical from rags to riches story.

The only difference is he isa master of value addition and he used the resources at his disposal to catapult himself to be one of the wealthiest men in Africa and in the world.

According to reports in renowned Nigerian publications, Dangote had an entrepreneurial flair ever since childhood though he grew up in a wealthy family.

During his primary school days , he is said to have been a ‘hustler’ buying cartons of sweets and selling them just to make extra money. .

At a university, he studied business in Cairo Egypt.

After varsity, he was loyal to his roots and he returned home and borrowed 500 000 Naira from his uncle at the age of 21.

That was the beginning of a new journey that has seen him from the Dangote Group that was first established as a small trading firm in 1977.

Today, it is a multi billion dollar conglomerate with its operations dotted across West Africa.

His main cash cow is in sugar refinery although he has enlarged his line of businesses to also cover food processing, cement manufacturing, and freight.

Despite all the wealth , Dangote is regarded as Africa’s biggest philanthropist.

He doesn’t take care of Nigeria only but assists the needy across Africa.

“Africans must begin to take responsibility by shaping the condition of its people.

“We already have a foundation which will do all these things, but I am trying to see what we can do to encourage, not only Nigerians, but other Africans.”
“I am not going to give all my money to charity, but I am going to try my best and give part of that money to charity. I am working hard on it,” he was quoted as saying.

During the Ebola crisis , through the Dangote Foundation he committed almost a million greenbacks towards the fight against Ebola.

If Africa could breed more Dangotes and Strives we can compete with the fast rising economies like China.

There is a need for a change in mindset.

However, some would argue that we wouldn’t know how Strive would have pulled through to say he had borne his idea fast forward twenty years after the ‘Black Day’ in Zimbabwe when the economy took a downturn.

There are certainly many Strives and great thinkers in our streets but the environment is not enabling.

It has become more of a rent seeking economy where some millionaires do not even have registered companies.

In the here and now, Strive and Dangote lead as others follow ( we wish more Africans follow suit)!