Africa’s youngest billionaire has been kidnapped by gunmen in Dar es Salaam, according to officials.

Mohammed Dewji, 43, who is said to have a fortune of $1.5bn (£1.1bn) and is the president of MeTL Group, which operates in about 10 countries across sectors ranging from agriculture to transport and food, was abducted as he entered a hotel gym.

The regional governor, Paul Makonda, said: “Initial information indicates he was kidnapped by whites travelling in two vehicles. This kind of incident is new here.”

Lazaro Mambosasa, the Dar es Salaam police chief, told a press conference the kidnappers had “shot into the air” before bundling Dewji into a car.

He said police were looking for suspects and had already made arrests.

Dewji was born in Tanzania and studied at Georgetown University in Washington DC. He served as an MP from 2005 to 2015.

In 2013, he became the first Tanzanian to be on the cover of Forbes magazine, and was named Forbes Africa person of the year in 2015.

Dewji is also the main shareholder in Simba football club, based in Dar es Salaam.

He is ranked 17th by Forbes on its list of Africa’s billionaires.

Dewji is married with three children. In 2016, he signed a pledge to donate at least half his fortune to philanthropic causes.