The world is still reeling in shock at the death of Reginald Mengi, Tanzanian media mogul, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2019 in Dubai.

Born in 1944 in Kilimanjaro to extremely impoverished parents, he rose above arduous circumstances to become one of Tanzania’s most accomplished and wealthiest businessmen. FORBES estimated his net worth at $560 million in 2014.

Dr. Mengi owned the IPP Media Group, one of the largest media conglomerates in Africa. Operating 11 newspapers, radio and television stations and Internet properties, he also had a huge stake in Tanzania’s gold, uranium, copper, chrome and coal mines.

But even as his wealth grew, Mengi never forgot his humble beginnings. Considered Tanzania’s pioneer in corporate social responsibility in Tanzania, the devout philanthropist sent hundreds of Tanzanian children with heart ailments to India for treatments. He started The Rodney Mutie Mengi Foundation following the demise of his own son in 2005.

Dr. Mengi philanthropic efforts focused on financing youth and women based economic groups and community development projects through various grassroots programmes. He also awarded scholarships to encourage students to do well in their studies and to assist those who do well, but are unable to pursue further studies due to financial constraints.

Dr. Mengi’s initiatives in the area of conservation have included initiating and funding a campaign to reforest Mount Kilimanjaro in order to reserve the melting of its famous snowcap due to global warming and deforestation. This campaign which Dr Mengi was funding since it started in 1987, has led to over twenty -seven million trees being planted, with a target of one hundred million trees by the end of 2019.

Mengi was a mentor to the Tanzanian youth. They drew inspiration from his business acumen; his kindness and his devotion from his mentorship seminars, with the most memorable being his roundtable contribution during the Microsoft Thought Leadership conference held in 2016.

According to 23-year old Ali Khatau, founder of Elimu Tanzania, an online platform that helps increase Tanzanian students’ pass rates, as well as improve their IT literacy, “I always tell myself if Dr. Mengi could go from such poverty to the very top and impact all those people, then life is limitless; then I could also go from what I was to the very top with hard work, ambition and a huge amount of persistence”. Elimu Tanzania currently has over 50,000 users and has donated hundreds of books that have gone on to help thousands of people read and learn.

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Admittedly, there are very few such individuals in Kenya’s philanthropy scene who can achieve such fetes as Dr. Mengi. One will have to look hard for the few charities and foundations that have a multi-thronged approach to address society’s problems through self-funding initiatives.

The late Mengi will be remembered by many for his tireless efforts to help the needy, not only because he gave generously, but also, because he popularized causes that had not been talked about before. His legacy lives on through his philanthropic work that has transformed more than 10,000 lives.

While there are many people who can be said to be richer than Dr. Mengi, their presence in the philanthropic scene is obscure to say the least.

It is likely that East Africa will remember this soft-spoken man, not for the amount of money he gave to charity, but for the rich heart that made him give gladly. Let’s all fete him, for Reginald Abraham Mengi was a true hero in corporate philanthropy.

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–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer