Tell the African story - Young African billionaire to journalists

A young African billionaire and business tycoon, Mr Ashish J. Thakkar has urged African journalists and media practitioners to tell the story of Africa from the African perspective.

He said in spite of the bountiful opportunities existing on the African continent, the continent is always featured in the western media with a negative slur.

He said the positive sides of the continent are often underreported by the western media, noting that such narrative could only be changed if African journalists and media practitioners highlight the positives of the continent.

Mr Thakkar made the call when he paid a visit to the head office of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in Accra on Tuesday.

The visit was to enable Mr Thakkar familiarise himself with the operations of the company and also interact with staff.

Mr Thakkar who was in Ghana to deliver a lecture to inspire young entrepreneurs was accompanied by the President of the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF), Mr Ashim Morton and Ambassador Victor Gbeho.

He used the occasion to talk about his business empire, both in Africa and other parts of the world.

Introducing Mr Thakkar and his team to the GCGL staff, the Acting Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said he wanted the youngest billionaire to meet the young staff of the company so that he can inspire them.

He added that the young billionaire had an interesting story and that such a story could inspire young people to aspire higher in life.

Some GCGL staff in a group photograph with Mr Thakkar 

Mr Tetteh said although Mr Thakkar dropped out of school at age 15 to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur, he is now the youngest billionaire on the African continent, managing a business empire with a presence in over 25 countries in Africa.

Mr Thakkar is a Dubai-based British entrepreneur and founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation, as well as a co-founder of Atlas Mara.

He was born in the United Kingdom (UK), but moved to East Africa as a teenager before founding Mara Group, a Pan-African conglomerate, at the age of 15.

He is Africa’s youngest billionaire and was included in Fortune magazine’s list of the top “40 Under 40” in 2013.

His company, Mara Group, is a young and dynamic Pan-African investment group with operations in the banking, real estate, infrastructure and technology sectors.