Strive Masiyiwa on Building a Billion Dollar Legacy in Africa and Beyond

John Hope Bryant sits down with billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa and framing the conversation around the “African century.” Masiyiwa describes founding the Econet Group, defeating Zimbabwe’s state telecom monopoly through a Supreme Court constitutional ruling, relocating to South Africa to access capital, and expanding across Africa—especially Nigeria, where he assembled a local consortium to buy a $285 million mobile license and lived in Lagos to build the business. He explains shifting from mobile to fiber and satellite infrastructure, building 150,000 miles of network and connecting Africa east-to-west, then moving into data centers, mobile money, and global acquisitions.

He outlines core operating values (innovation, people/product/process, diverse talent, faith lived through actions), discusses the Higher Life Foundation’s education and health work, and recounts leadership roles during Ebola and COVID responses. See for privacy information.