Telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa down a peg on UK rich list

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE born telecoms entrepreneur and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa is down two places on the annual Sunday Times Rich List after his wealth a £161 million knock.

According to figures released on Friday, the London-based tycoon is this year ranked at 110 with a £1.506 billion fortune.

Last year, the Econet Wireless founder ranked 108 on the annual list of Britain’s richest.

Born in Zimbabwe in 1961, Masiyiwa left the country as a child and returned after Independence in 1984, working briefly as a telecoms engineer before setting up his first business in 1986.

He emigrated from Zimbabwe in 2000, living with his family in South Africa until 2010.

The family then moved to the UK in 2010 from where Masiyiwa runs a global portfolio in more than 40 countries on four continents.

Masiyiwa is also known as one of the most prolific African philanthropists, focusing in particular on young people

His family foundations – Higherlife Foundation and Delta Philanthropies – have supported over 300,000 scholarships to African children, public health, girls’ empowerment, youth mentorship, rural transformation, and other critical social impact initiatives in Africa.

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