Madhvani Group

Madhvani Group

Type	Conglomerate
Industry	Manufacturing, tourism, information technology
Founded	1914
Headquarters	Kakira, Uganda
Key people	Mayur Madhvani group managing director
Products	Electricity, matches, insurance, construction, sugar, tea, communication, horticulture, software, hotels and resorts
Revenue	US$100+ million (2009)
Total assets	US$500m (2012)
Number of employees	10,000+ (2009)
Website	Homepage

The Madhvani Group of Companies commonly referred to as the Madhvani Group, is one of the largest conglomerates in Uganda, with an estimated asset base exceeding US$500 million as of January 2012. The group has investments in Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Middle East, India, and North America.

History

Main article: Muljibhai Madhvani

In 1912, Muljibhai Madhvani, then aged 18, arrived in Jinja. He was able to take a small trading concern and create a business that would later account for 10 percent of Uganda's gross domestic product. His workers and their dependents have enjoyed free education, housing, and healthcare under the Group. The Group's businesses are run primarily by Madhvani family members, but many of the newer investments are joint ventures with other businesses.

During the 1970s, the Madhvani family was expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin and their businesses were nationalized and mismanaged to near-extinction. In 1985, the family returned to Uganda and with loans from the World Bank, the East African Development Bank, and the Uganda Development Bank, they resurrected and rehabilitated their businesses and started new ones.

Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation

The Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation is a charitable trust that was established in 1962 on the eve of Uganda's independence to honor the vision of Muljibhai Madhvani (14 May 1894 – 11 July 1958), the founder of the Madhvani empire.

The foundation awards scholarships to deserving undergraduate and postgraduate university students with limited means to study in Ugandan Universities. One of the Foundation's primary objectives is to maintain and promote scientific and technical education among the people of Uganda. UGX:650 million (approximately US$300,000) is awarded each year under the scholarship program. Emphasis is placed on sponsorship of students in the following fields: (a) agriculture (b) sciences (c) information technology (d) commerce and (e) medicine

Subsidiary companies

The Madhvani Group includes but is not limited to the following companies:

• Chobe Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
• East African Packaging Solutions, Njeru, Uganda — now sole owner after buying out partner
• East African Distributors Limited – furniture and hardware merchandising, Kampala, Uganda
• East African Glass Works Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Excel Construction Limited, Jinja, Uganda and Juba, South Sudan
• East African Underwriters Limited – 51 percent shareholding by Liberty Holdings Limited of South Africa) Kampala, Uganda
• Industrial Security Services Limited, Jinja, Uganda
• Kabuye Sugar Works, Kabuye, Rwanda
• Kajjansi Roses Limited, Kajjansi, Wakiso District, Uganda
• Kakira Airport, Kakira, Uganda
• Kakira Power Company, Kakira, Uganda — the owner-operators of Kakira Power Station
• Kakira Sugar Works, Kakira, Uganda — the flagship company of the Group
• Kakira Sugar Works Hospital, Kakira, Uganda
• Silver Back Lodge, Bwindi Forest, Uganda
• Kakira Sweets & Confectioneries Limited, Kakira, Uganda
• Liberty Life Assurance Uganda Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Madhvani Group Central Purchasing, Jinja, Uganda
• Madhvani Group Projects Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Marasa India Resorts and Hotels, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
• Madhvani Properties Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Makepasi Match Limited, Jinja, Uganda
• Marasa Holdings Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation, Kakira, Uganda
• Mwera Tea Estate, Mityana District, Uganda
• Mweya Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
• Nakigalala Tea Estate, Wakiso District, Uganda
• Nilefos Minerals Limited, Tororo, Uganda
• Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
• Premier Safaris Limited, Jinja, Uganda
• Software Applications Uganda Limited, Kampala, Uganda
• Madhvani Group Steel Division, Jinja, Uganda
• TPSC Turbo Prop Service Centre Uganda Limited, Aircraft Maintenance, Kakira, Uganda

Prominent family members

The following are some of the prominent members of the Madhvani family:

• Muljibhai Madhvani (1894-1958) — family patriarch, founder of the Madhvani Group
• Jayant Madhvani ( 1922-1971) — Muljibhai's firstborn son. Ran the conglomerate after the death of his father
• Manubhai Madhvani (1930-2011) — Muljibhai's second son. Ran the conglomerate with his elder brother before the elder brother died. In 2008, he authored a book Tide of Fortune about the history of Asians in East Africa, the family business and his own experiences.
• Surendra Madhvani — Muljibhai's third son.
• Pratap Madhvani — Muljibhai's fourth son.
• Roni Madhvani -Pratap's oldest son.
• Mayur Madhvani — Muljibhai's fifth and youngest son.
• Nitin Madhvani — Jayant's firstborn son and grandson of Muljibhai. First Indian to return to Uganda after Idi Amin. He successfully negotiated the re-appropriation of the family's assets from the government.
• Amit Madhvani — Jayant's second son and grandson of Muljibhai
• Nimisha Madhvani — Jayant's only daughter. Granddaughter of Muljibhai Madhvani. Uganda's ambassador to France.
• Meena Madhvani — Jayant's widow.
• Hrishi Madhvani — Nitin's elder son and first in line to his Great Grandfather, Muljibhai Madhvani. Educated at Eton. Honorary Consul of Lithuania to Uganda.
• Mumtaz — actress and Mayur's wife.

See also

• Jinja District

External links

• Uganda At 40: Nimisha Madhvani Speaks To Rupal Rajani About Her Return To Uganda (Video: Available Since: 2 August 2012)

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