Source- The Citizen Reporter
Dar es Salaam. Our very own super businessman Said Salim Bakhresa is the second wealthiest person in East Africa, with $520 million (Sh832 billion) to his name. Mr Bakhresa, whose business empire spans the East and Central African region, is at position 30 out of 40 in Africa.
The self-made billionaire, 63, has interests in grain milling, beverages, packaging, ferry services and petroleum trading. His Bakhresa Group manufactures the popular Azam brand of food products.
The annual ranking is compiled by the influential American publication, Forbes Magazine and was released yesterday.
“The sales volume of Bakhresa Group are $800 million (Sh1.3 billion) and, in fact, the group is also the largest producer of wheat flour in East and Central Africa with daily capacity of 3,200 metric tonnes,” the magazine reports.
In East Africa, the wealthiest entrepreneur is Ugandan businessman Sudhir Ruparelia with a net wealth of $900 million. He is the 18th richest person in Africa. The 56-year-old Kampala-based entrepreneur has interests in banking, real estate, hotel management and development.
The third richest person in the region is Kenyan Naushad Merali, whose wealth stands at $410 million.
Nigerians, South Africans and Egyptians dominated the top ten list of wealthiest people on the continent, with Aliko Dangote of Nigeria listed as the richest African at $12 billion.
Other rich people in the top ten include Nicky Oppenheimer & family, Johann Rupert &family, Christottel Wiese and Patrice Motsepe—all from South Africa. Others are Mohamed Mansour, Naguib Sawiris and Nassef Sawiris from Egypt, Mike Adenuga from Nigeria and Othman Benjelloun from Morrocco.
Mr Bakhresa is said to have struck out on his own barely in his teens. Says the magazine: “Tanzania’s richest man, Said Salim Bakhresa, stopped school at age 14 to sell potato chips, then opened a small restaurant and then finally delved into grain milling. Today, his Bakhresa Group employs over 2,000 people and is Tanzania’s largest conglomerate.”