Poverty is indeed a state of the mind. Some people have been born in abject poverty and in spite of this, they became wealthy and succeeded against all odds. This is a motivation for all, that you can succeed irrespective of your present circumstances. Below are three famous people in Africa who rose from extreme poverty to legal wealth.
Djimon Hounsou- Actor
The Actor from the popular movie “Blood Diamond” was not born rich. Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Bénin to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He went to Paris from Cotonou at the age of 13, couldn’t find a job and ended as a homeless person always scouting in trash cans for food. One day, whilst searching as usual through trash for food, fate smiled upon him, his picture was taken by a photographer working for the fashion designer Thierry Mugler. Mugler saw the photos and was fascinated by the build of the Djimon and immediately set out to find this homeless man and hire him as a model. Presently, Djimon is worth is over $12million.
Reginald Abraham Mengi – Entrepreneur
In 2014, he made the list of Forbes “Africa’s 50 Richest”. Reginald Mengi was born into a poor family in Northern Tanzania and was raised in a mud hut which the family shared with domestic animals. He once said in an interview that he had one meal a day and sometimes none at all. Today, Mengi is one of the most influential men in Eastern Africa with a net worth of over $560 million dollars.
Herman Mashaba- Entrepreneur
In an interview with Kickstart Magazine, Herman shared his rags to riches story. He grew up in the small village of GaRamotse in Pretoria, South Africa. According to him it was common to be poor in his village, but he did not allow that to deter him as he has always considered himself a capitalist. Mr Mashaba has been known as the man who founded Black Like Me hair products company which is the biggest hair brand in South Africa. On the 22nd of August, 2016 he was appointed as the Mayor of Johannesburg. Mr Maseba’s net worth is over $100 million.
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Olatorera Consultancy Limited provides business development services to high net-worth individuals and companies looking to grow, enter or do business in Africa. Olatorera Consultancy Limited is headquartered in Oniru Royal Estate, Lagos, Nigeria
