Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian businessman Mohammed Dewji has been named among the world’s top 100 philanthropists in the Time100 Philanthropy 2026 list, in recognition of his charitable work through the Mo Dewji Foundation.
In announcing the list, Time described Dewji as one of Africa’s youngest billionaires committed to fighting poverty in Tanzania through long-term investments in social development initiatives spanning more than two decades.
Through the Mo Dewji Foundation, established in 2014, Dewji has channelled resources into education, healthcare and clean water projects aimed at improving livelihoods in underserved communities across the country.
The foundation says more than 635,000 people have benefited from its programmes since 2001 through interventions focused on expanding access to essential social services.
In education, the organisation has continued supporting academically gifted youth through the Mo Scholars Programme, which seeks to nurture future leaders. More than 250 students have so far received scholarships under the initiative.
According to the foundation, applications to join the programme rose sharply last year, with more than 2,600 young people applying.
In the health sector, the foundation has facilitated medical services for more than 75,000 patients through partnerships with healthcare stakeholders aimed at extending services to marginalised communities.
Its water projects have also enabled more than 25,300 people to access clean and safe water through borehole construction and modern rural water management systems.
Dewji built his business career through the family-owned MeTL Group, founded by his father in the 1970s, which focused on producing affordable consumer goods for low-income households across East Africa.
The conglomerate has since expanded into multiple sectors, including manufacturing, transport and petroleum.
Beyond business, Dewji also served as a Member of Parliament for 10 years, during which he used personal resources to support the construction of schools, drilling of water wells, provision of agricultural equipment and improvement of healthcare services.
Other Africans and African-linked personalities recognised in the Time100 Philanthropy 2026 list include Nigerian philanthropists Tony Elumelu and Awele Vivien Elumelu, Kenya’s Alice Kang’ethe, and actors Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre Elba, who are of Sierra Leonean-Ghanaian and Somali heritage respectively.
