Yusuf Manji: Tanzanian Businessman and Founder of Quality Group Tanzania
Yusuf Manji is a renowned Tanzanian businessman and founder of Quality Group Tanzania. Manji started off as an entrepreneur when he founded Quality Group Tanzania in 2005, which was a small wholesale company in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania that provided various products that were brought in from international suppliers. From humble beginnings, Quality Group Tanzania is now one of the leading distributors in the East African region and ranks amongst the top 100 companies in Tanzania.
Early Life
Yusuf Manji was born in Dar es Salaam in 1972 to a middle-class family. His father was a respected businessperson who had his own merchandizing company, while his mother was a housewife. Even in his childhood, Manji was immensely resourceful and exhibited a knack for entrepreneurship, often selling items such as fruits, vegetables and other goods at local markets. By the age of 14, Manji had saved enough money to open his first business – a small kiosk selling DVDs and tapes.
Education
Manji was an avid learner and was determined to get a higher-earning job after school. He attended the University of Dar es Salaam and graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1997. After graduating, Manji opted to go into the field of sales and marketing where he worked his way up the corporate ladder and gained invaluable knowledge and experience in the industry.
Quality Group Tanzania
In 2005, Manji recognized a gap in Tanzania’s retail sector and decided to fill it. He established Quality Group Tanzania, which was a small wholesale company in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Initially, the company focused on bringing in much-needed products from international suppliers, but over time, the scope of the business grew and they expanded into other areas. Quality Group Tanzania quickly became the go-to supplier in the region, with a vast list of products from electronics, groceries, and home & garden items, all sourced from around the world.
Reinventing the Business
Between 2010 and 2019, Quality Group Tanzania underwent an extensive transformation. Manji recognized the need to stay ahead of the competition and upgraded their supply, place and fulfilment capabilities. He also secured key partnerships in the region, allowing Quality Group Tanzania to expand into new areas. The company also diversified their product range, and began offering a wider range of fast-moving consumer goods, locally sourced products, and specialized items.
Philanthropy and Community Engagement
Manji is a philanthropist, who devotes time and resources to social causes. In 2017, he set up the Quality Group Tanzania Foundation, which seeks to use the resources of the company to support education, health and poverty-alleviation initiatives in Tanzania. To date, the Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 200 students and made donations to charity organisations in Dar-es-Salaam and other parts of Tanzania.
Honors and Recognition
Manji has been recognized for his tremendous contribution to Tanzania’s business sector. He won several awards, including the Africa Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Addis Ababa World Economic Summit in 2017 and was listed in Forbes Africa Magazine’s “30 under 30” list in 2019.
Yusuf Manji is not just a successful Tanzanian businessman, but also one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in the region. He has worked tirelessly to build Quality Group Tanzania from its early days as a small wholesale business to the large and respected company it is today. Not only that, Manji is also an active philanthropist and supports numerous education, health and poverty-alleviation initiatives in Tanzania. His determination and commitment to his business and his community are truly admirable.
