The first job of 8 African presidents

African presidents had a veritable variety of careers before they became the famous or infamous leaders they are today.

Majority of them started out as teachers, lawyers or military service-people.

Here are eight of the most interesting first jobs of African presidents.

1. Patrice Talon, Benin- Failed pilot

Patrice Talon is a business and the president of Benin since April 2016. He studied science at the University of Dakar and then attended National School of Civil Aviation in Paris. He had dreams of becoming a pilot but they came to a halt when he failed a medical test. Talon had a knack for the trade industry. He ended up starting a packaging company in 1983 and ended up being called the “King of Cotton” after he built an empire with the Beninese political class.

2.Azali Assoumani, Comoros- Parachutist

Azali Assoumani is the current president of the Comoros Islands. He was also president from 1999 to 2002 and again from 2002 to 2006 after ousting the previous president in a coup. Before overthrowing the civilian government in 1999, Assoumani pursued a military career. He trained at the Royal Military Academy in Morocco and qualified as a parachutist in 1980.

3. Michael Sata, Zambia- Luggage carrier

Michael Sata was the fifth president of Zambia from September 2011 to his death in October 2014. In his early days, Sata was a porter at London’s Victorian train station. He helped travellers with their luggage.

4. Adama Barrow, Gambia- Security guard

Adama Barrow is the current and third president of Gambia. He has been in office since January 2017. He was a property developer who had never held a political position before winning the election. He lived in the UK in the early 2000s. According to the Telegraph, he worked as a security guard at the Argos catalogue store in north London, while studying for his real estate qualifications.

5. Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya- Bank teller

Arguably Kenya’s richest man and the country’s fourth president, Kenyatta is serving his second and final term after winning a hotly contested election in August 2017 and a repeat presidential election in October 2017. He is the son of the country’s first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. He attended Amherst College and upon returning to the country, he opened an agricultural export company called Wilham Kenya Limited. But one of his earliest jobs was as a bank teller with Kenya Commercial Bank between 1979 and 1980.

6. George Weah, Liberia- Footballer

He is 25 president of Liberia, and a retired striker. He became president in January 2018. Weah played football for 14 years before returning to Liberia after the ousting of Charles Taylor. He first served as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations in 2003.

He was named African, European, and World Player of the Year in 1995. He also played for Monaco, Paris St. Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City, among others.

7. Ameenah Gurib, Mauritius- Biodiversity scientist

She is the first woman elected as president of the country. She started her term in 2015 after being asked by Mauritius’ majority political party to run. She is a biodiversity scientist- involved in the study of the variability among living organisms from all ecosystems and the founder of the Centre for Pytotherapy Research. Prior to becoming president, she had no political experience.

8. Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leone- Insurance agent

Ernest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current president of Sierra Leone. He has been serving since September 2007. After graduating with a degree in business management from Fourah Bay College, Freetown- he went on to become an insurance executive for 24 years. But immediately after graduating he was a teacher for two years before joining the insurance industry in 1978.

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