Tanzanian President John Magufuli has mourned media mogul Reginald Mengi, who passed away on Thursday at a Dubai hospital according to his own media outlets.
Arguably the richest man within East Africa, Mr Mengi invested in new technology and telecommunication industry. He owns several media outlets in Tanzania.
"Nimesikitishwa na taarifa za kifo cha Mzee na Rafiki yangu Dkt. Reginald Mengi. Nitamkumbuka kwa mchango wake mkubwa ktk maendeleo ya Taifa letu na maono yake yaliyopo ktk kitabu chake cha I Can, I Will, I Must. Poleni wanafamilia, wafanyakazi wa IPP na Jumuiya ya Wafanyabiashara," he wrote.
Loosely translates to: " I am saddened to learn about the death of my friend Mengi. I will remember him for his philanthropic activities in Tanzania. I also remember his book 'I can, I will, I must'. I send my condolences to those affected."
Through IPP, Mr Mengi set up the IPP Media empire that mainly serve Tanzania and parts of East Africa.The media group owns ITV, East Africa TV, Capital TV, Radio One, East Africa Radio, and Capital FM.
He is also the owner of printing company, The Guardian Limited, that publishes the Guardian, Nipashe and Alaska magazines.
According to a report by The EastAfrican, the $10 million plant is a joint venture between with IPP Automobile Company Ltd and Youngsan Glonet Corporation.
The carmaker is targeting buyers in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi is expected to assemble around 1,000 vehicles per year and employ more than 1,000 people.
“The industry will start to operate from September 2019, will include assembling functions will begin with three types of vehicles ranging from, commercial and construction trucks, buses and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV),” he said in November 2018.