Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s richest man, rebuilds net worth to $1.5 billion

After a difficult 2025 that erased half a billion dollars from his fortune Zimbabwe’s richest man, Strive Masiyiwa is regaining his footing. His net worth has increased by $200 million so far this year, lifting it to $1.5 billion at the time of writing from $1.3 billion at the start of January.

Masiyiwa recovers from $500 million slide

According to estimates by Forbes, the rebound follows a steep slide last year, when his wealth fell by $500 million—from $1.8 billion on Jan. 1 to $1.3 billion by Dec. 31—as Zimbabwe grappled with currency changes and broader economic strain.

The drop came as the government replaced the battered Zimbabwe dollar with a gold-backed unit, the ZiG, in an effort to steady prices after years of volatility. For business leaders, the policy shift brought fresh uncertainty. For Masiyiwa, it meant a sharp paper loss tied to his holdings. Now, the recovery in his fortune mirrors a broader shift in strategy.

Masiyiwa expands Cassava AI backing

Best known as the founder of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and the driving force behind Econet Global, Masiyiwa has spent the past two years widening his reach beyond traditional telecoms. His interests now span fintech, renewable energy, satellite services and artificial intelligence, largely through Cassava Technologies.

In November 2025, Cassava, as it continues with its artificial intelligence factory, unveiled agreements that will inject more than $150 million in fresh equity into its Liquid unit. The capital raise is designed to reduce debt and fund expansion across its data and cloud businesses.

As part of the transaction, U.S. chipmaker NVIDIA took an equity stake, underscoring global investor interest in Africa’s AI infrastructure push. The investment followed backing from Google in December 2024, making Cassava one of the few African tech groups to draw support from two Silicon Valley heavyweights.

Masiyiwa rebuilds after $500 million dip

At home, Masiyiwa is reshaping his core telecom assets. Econet InfraCo, an infrastructure business being carved out of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, has outlined plans for a 300-hectare industrial park and a major data center near Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare. The project is expected to include a 100-megawatt solar plant to secure stable power—a critical factor for manufacturers and exporters that have long struggled with outages.

For Masiyiwa, the numbers tell a story of recovery: a $500 million decline in 2025, followed by a $200 million rebound that has restored his net worth to $1.5 billion. Behind those figures is a broader bet—that demand for connectivity, clean energy and AI computing across Africa will outlast the currency swings and policy shifts that have defined Zimbabwe’s economic history.