Rostam Aziz


Rostam Abdulrasul Aziz is a Tanzanian politician, businessman/entrepreneur and economist. According to Forbes magazine, he was reportedly the first Tanzanian dollar billionaire in 2013 with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion.
He represented the Igunga constituency in Tabora Region from 1994 until his resignation in 2011. He was the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi National Treasurer from 2005 to 2007 and member of the Politburo/Central Committee of CCM from 2006 to 2011. Some of the key as an MP he pioneered community health insurance in East Africa and every household in his constituency was provided with health insurance from the Community Health Fund.He also achieved access to water for every resident in his constituency and Igunga Constituency became the first district to have a dispensary in every village and electricity in every ward.
According to Forbes magazine Rostam Aziz of Tanzania owns nearly 18% of Vodacom Tanzania, the country's largest mobile phone company, with 15 million subscribers. Rostam, via Cavalry Holdings, previously owned 35% of the company, but, in May 2014 he sold 17.2% of Vodacom Tanzania to Vodacom Group of South Africa for an estimated $250 million.
He also owns Caspian mining, a contract mining firm in Tanzania, and real estate in Dubai and Oman. Aziz got his start in his family's trading business and then branched out on his own.

Background

The Aziz's are a fifth generation Tanzanian family of Iranian baloch ancestry the clan sagari
They settled in Tanganika after transiting in Zanzibar,
circa 1850. The family initially began farming sisal, rice and sugar cane.

Overview

The Aziz family is one of the wealthiest families in East Africa. Their investments range from telecommunications, agriculture, media, mining, and ports facilities.
The Aziz Group holdings include: