Strive Masiyiwa
Zimbabwean-born telecoms mogul Strive Masiyiwa has been named the first black billionaire in the UK. Masiyiwa, chairman and founder of Econet Group, a telecommunications and technology group with operations and investments in 29 countries in Africa and Europe, appeared on the Sunday Times UK Rich List over the weekend
Strive Masiyiwa is a London-based Zimbabwean billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and executive chairman of the international technology group Econet Global.
Born: 1961 (age 60 years), Zimbabwe
Net worth: 1.6 billion USD (2021) Forbes
Spouse: Tsitsi Masiyiwa
Alma mater: University of Wales
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Source: Daily Mail
Britain’s first black billionaire: London-based telecoms tycoon, 60, who fled Zimbabwe and is now trying to provide Africa with Covid vaccines while sitting on Netflix and Unilever boards
By James Robinson for MailOnline10:05 23 May 2021, updated 19:16 23 May 2021
• Strive Masiyiwa has become a billionaire according to Sunday Times Rich List
• The 60-year-old is a London-based telecoms tycoon who was born in Zimbabwe
• He is on boards of Netflix and Unilever and is African Union’s pandemic envoy
• The tycoon recently agreed a deal for 400 million Covid jab doses for Africa
A telecoms tycoon whose family fled unrest in Zimbabwe, who took on Robert Mugabe in order to start his businesses, and who is now helping to provide Covid vaccines to Africa, has been named as Britain’s first black billionaire.
London-based Strive Masiyiwa, 60, has clinched the accolade according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
• Strive Masiyiwa (pictured with wife Tsitsi in 2016), who fled unrest in Zimbabwe, took on Robert Mugabe in order to start his businesses, and is now helping to provide Covid vaccines to Africa, has been named the first black billionaire
However the Zimbabwe-born businessman, who sits on the boards of Netflix and Unilever, has a more pressing goal in mind – attempting to get Covid vaccines to Africa.
Mr Masiyiwa, considered as one of Africa’s most generous humanitarians, is currently the African Union’s special envoy on the pandemic.
And the businessman, a father of six, has recently secured 400 million doses of the Covid vaccine for the continent – home to 1.3billion people.
• Mr Masiyiwa (pictured with Tony Blair in 2013) moved to the UK as a child, attended secondary school in Scotland and has an engineering degree from the University of Wales
Mr Masiyiwa owns high profile properties in New York, including two adjacent apartments atop the 29-storey Eldorado Towers (pictured) – which have been at various points home to stars such as Michael J. Fox, Moby and Alec Baldwin
Mr Masiyiwa rise to wealth is a remarkable one, with his parents having fled Rhodesia when he was a child.
The top 10 richest people in Britain, according to the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List
These are Britain’s top 10 richest people, according to the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List:
1) Sir Leonard Blavatnik: £23bn
2) David and Simon Reuben: £21.465bn
3) Sri and Gopi Hinduja and family: £17bn
4) Sir James Dyson and family: £16.3bn
5) Lakshmi Mittal and family: £14.68bn
6) Alisher Usmanov: £13.406bn
7) Kirsten and Jorn Rausing: £13bn
8) Roman Abramovich: £12.101bn
9) Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho: £12.013bn
10) Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family: £11bn
He was born in the country – now modern day Zimbabwe – in 1961. When he was aged 7 his parents fled the country amid the unrest after Ian Smith’s government declared independence from Britain.
His family moved to Zambia, where Mr Masiyiwa attended primary school, before moving to the UK aged 12.
He attended a private secondary school in Scotland – paid for by his entrepreneur mother – before later earning an engineering degree from the University of Wales.
