Strive Masiyiwa Becomes Zimbabwe’s First Billionaire With A Net-worth Of $1.7 Billion

Self-exiled Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa, is now a billionaire for the first time, according to the latest Forbes rankings released yesterday.

According to the report, Masiyiwa, 57 is now worth $1.7 billion. Masiyiwa controls Econet Group, a Zimbabwe-listed mobile Network Operate (MNO) that also has investments in financial services, insurance, e-commerce, renewable energy, education, Coca-Cola bottling, hospitality and payment gateway solutions. Econet also has a Pay television outfit, Kwesé TV, which is already competing favorably across Africa with Naspers’ DStv.

Strive Masiyiwa has a majority stake in fiber optic firm Liquid Telecom, which raised $700 million in a bond offering in July 2017.

Masiyiwa’s story is full of trials and tribulations, including a battle against the government of Zimbabwe that earned him death threats and, probably, made him flee the country in 2000. But it’s also replete with triumphs.

Below Full List of Africa’s billionaires and their ranking: