Page 6 - Issue 9

in New Zealand, Bolivia, and the Masiyiwa together with his wife donated Board, the Africa Progress Panel, the UN
Dominican Republic. The company he a total of US$10m to fight against the Secretary General’s Advisory Board for
created is known to have operations and disease. Moreover, he pledged US$60m Sustainable Energy for All, Morehouse
investments, in more than 20 countries, to be used to build resilience against the College and the Hilton Foundation’s
including the United Kingdom, US, disease. Humanitarian Prize Jury. He is one of
Latin America, and New Zealand, Together with his wife, they pledged the founders, with Sir Richard Branson,
United Arab Emirates, and China. After $100m to establish a fund to invest in of the global think tank, the Carbon War
more than ten years in South Africa, rural entrepreneurs in his home country. Room, and a founding member of the
Masiyiwa moved to London; however, The two also started a non-profit Global Business Coalition on Education.
he still retains significant business organization, Higherlife Foundation, Mr. Masiyiwa currently co-chairs the
interests in South Africa. which empowers disadvantaged AU/WEF platform for investment in

One of Masiyiwa’s most successful children through education and creating African agriculture, known as GROW
ventures is the London-based privately opportunities for highly talented young Africa, and recently took over the
held Liquid Telecom Group, Africa’s people. Chairmanship of the Alliance for a Green
largest satellite and fibre Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
optic business spanning over from Kofi Annan. He is Chair
14 countries. Other activities of Nutrition International’s
of Econet include enterprise Board of Directors, a global
organization
focused
on
networks, financial services, improving nutrition. In 2012,
renewable energy, television Mr. Masiyiwa was invited
and media (Kwesé TV). by US President Obama to
Masiyiwa is generally address leaders at the Camp
recognised as one of the David G-8 Summit on how to
most prolific philanthropists increase food production and
to ever come out of Africa. end hunger in parts of Africa.
He has used his own family As a philanthropist, he is
fortune to build one of the a member of the Giving
largest support programs for Pledge, and his contributions
educating orphans in Africa. Strive and Wife and an award event in 2017, Tsitsi Masiyiwa, is to education, health and
At any given time his family Chairperson, Higher Life Foundation development have been
foundations support and widely recognized. He and
educate more than 40,000 his wife finance the Higher
children. Masiyiwa is also a member Through one of the largest scholarship Life Foundation, which provides
of the Bill Gates and Warren Buffett programmes in Africa, the Foundation scholarships to over 42,000 African
initiative known as the Giving Pledge. pays the school fees for 30,000 students orphans. In 2014, Mr. Masiyiwa was
annually in Zimbabwe, Lesotho and selected to Fortune Magazine’s list of the
Masiyiwa is also involved in supporting Burundi. “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”.
a diverse range of health issues including
campaigns against HIV/AIDS, Cervical In January 2020 he paid for Zimbabwe’s Masiyiwa is the only African member of
doctor’s to return to work after they
Cancer, malnutrition, and more recently struck to get paid. Masiyiwa will pay the United States Holocaust Memorial
EBOLA. He is an avid environmentalist each doctor a subsistence allowance of Museum’s Committee on Conscience.
and together with Sir Richard Branson about $300 (£230) and provide them He also served on two UN Advisory
founded the environmental group, the with transport to work, through a fund Panels, In 1998, the World Junior
Chamber of Commerce named Masiwa
Carbon War Room. he set up. Most of the doctors on strike one of the “10 most outstanding young
He recently took over, from former UN were earning less than $100 a month. leaders of the world”, an accolade
Secretary General, Kofi Annan, the He is married to Tsitsi, they have six previously bestowed to John Kennedy.
chairmanship of AGRA, an organization children, and live in London, England. The fund has raised millions of US
that supports Africa’s smallholder Masiyiwa owns two adjacent apartments dollars from the public using SMS
farmers. In 2013, he was appointed co- atop the 29-storey Eldorado Tower at donations, with contributions coming
chair of Grow Africa, the investment 300 Central Park in New York City, from many African countries. The
forum for Africa’s agriculture, which has bought for US$24.5 million in 2016. donations enabled The AU to deploy the
helped mobilize over US$15 billion in Mr. Masiyiwa serves on a number of largest known contingency of African
investments for African agriculture. international boards, including the healthcare workers to combat the spread
Upon the cholera outbreak which Rockefeller Foundation, the Council of the deadly pandemic.
happened in Zimbabwe in 2019, Strive on Foreign Relations’ Global Advisory

6 | The Nile Explorer 009