Descending from a Gujarati migrant family, Ashish was born in Leicester, the UK in 1981. His parents had made several investments back in Uganda, Africa, and had originally lived there. After political repression began in Uganda under Idi Amin’s dictatorship, his parents were forced to run away and finally settle in the UK where Ashish was born.
The certainty of life remains unsettled throughout Ashish’s juvenile years. His parents came back to Rwanda this time, in 1993. Soon after one year, the massacre took over the country and they had to flee from Rwanda too. They finally decided to reconcile in Uganda and start over their business. The family had nothing left after the series of misevents.
Ashish’s entrepreneur skills developed at the age of 12 when he sold his computer at a profit of $100. In 1996, three years later, his company Maya Group that dealt with computer parts imported from Dubai, took off. He left school, to completely immerse himself in his much-in-demand business.
Ashish collaborated with several businessmen who were looking for capital to expand their business along the Dubai-Uganda route. Ashish not only funded them but also was gradually engrossed in real state, agriculture, manufacturing, and IT services.
Maya Group has grown exponentially over the last 10 years across 25 African countries and three continents. The vision became reality owing to a joint effort made by several local experts, company partners, and foreign companies.
The list of achievements doesn’t end here. After becoming Africa’s youngest billionaire, Ashish was designated Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2012 and made it to Fortune magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 list in 2013.
In 2016, he was labelled as the Middle East Man of the Year by Esquire magazine. Ashish is not only successful but also has a big heart. In 2009, he found his own non-profit company, Maya Foundation to train and support young African entrepreneurs.
