H-Metro Reporter
PROPERTY tycoon Frank Buyanga and Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, both love “taking risks and exploring several ventures”, according to Briefly.co.za.
The South African website, Briefly.co.za, published Frank Buyanga’s biography, describing him as one of the richest men in Africa.
Aliko Dangote
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The reports said Buyanga had one thing in common with Dangote since he also ventured into business at a tender age and has so far managed to build an empire.
“He (Buyanga) has one thing in common with Aliko Dangote; taking risks and exploring several ventures. Frank ventured into business at a tender age, and by the time he was clocking thirty years, he had built an empire that had impacted thousands of lives.
“Success does not come easy, and the life of Frank Buyanga is proof of the statement. He has surfed the high and most turbulent waters to carve a covetable status. His rise to becoming one of the most successful businessmen in Africa has been faced with a series of controversies,” reads the biography.
Parallels were drawn between Buyanga and Dangote, (born on April 10, 1957) – a Nigerian billionaire businessman and the richest person in Africa with an estimated net worth of over US$10,1 billion (July 2020), making him the 162nd wealthiest person in the world.
Dangote is the founder, chairman, CEO of Dangote Group, an industrial conglomerate in Africa.
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At the age of 21, Aliko Dangote borrowed US$3 000 from his uncle to import and sell agricultural commodities in Nigeria, his native country. His business venture quickly became a success, and as a result, he managed to repay the entire loan within three months of starting operations. For the ninth time in a row, Dangote was the richest man in Africa in 2020, with an estimated net worth of US$10.1 billion.
Buyanga’s biography has a similar script.
“Being an entrepreneur exposes one to the risks and uncertainties that might cause a venture to bloom or collapse. The best part about the journey is the lessons that it brings forth. Most successful entrepreneurs discover opportunities during the journey, and before they notice it, they develop several streams of income and become wealthy individuals. These aspects are not different from the story of Frank Buyanga,” reads part of the biography.
“Success does not come easy, and the life of Frank Buyanga is proof of the statement. He has surfed the high and most turbulent waters to carve a covetable status. His rise to becoming one of the most successful businessmen in Africa has been faced with a series of controversies. Despite the challenges that he has had to endure, he possesses admirable leadership skills and preaches the gospel of empowering the youth.”
He was born on 14th September 1979 in the United Kingdom and besides being known for being a successful businessman, Frank leads a very private life. However, he is known to be a father of two children, a son, Daniel and a baby girl, Ariella Deborah who was born on the 7th of January 2020.
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He is an alumnus of the North London University where he pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Finance. He also studied Theology at the Pocim College of Leadership. His degree must have contributed to his wise financial moves and decisions.
Frank has set the record of being one of Africa’s youngest and yet most successful businessmen. He has traversed the depths and heights of the world of business and found a unique way of making a coin from his ventures. His success might have been influenced by his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance. He also boasts of more than two decades’ experience in entrepreneurship.
At the tender age of 18, he began Summit Trading; a commodities company. This company was based in the United Kingdom, and it birthed his entrepreneurial career. The commodities company dealt with agricultural products; especially sugar. Within its first year of operation, it had given him promising returns, which led to his other company, Ferco Trading Ltd.
Ferco Trading Ltd was the second company that Frank started. It majored in imports and exports. It also exposed him to his niche in the global business arena. Ferco Trading Ltd dealt with a wide range of products ranging from vehicle spare parts to television sets. Its market for most of the commodities was in West African countries, such as Nigeria.
The returns that he got from the two companies propelled him to explore other business ventures. Between 2000 and 2004, he owned and ran a pound shop in Stratford. He also opened up a garage in Ilford. To add to it, he also ran a mortgaging and financial advisory firm in Cavendish Street, London W1.
In 2005, Frank opted to return to Zimbabwe to spread his prowess in Africa. It is during this time that he made bold steps in business in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. His interests led to him being a stakeholder in the following conglomerates: Hamilton Property Holdings; Hamilton Finance; Hamilton Insurance; Hamilton Capital; Zimconcepts and African Cell Funeral Assurance.
He is also a philanthropist and the founder of the Hamilton Foundation, and the goal of the organisation is to support individuals who lack basic needs. He has been involved in several humanitarian drives, such as food and clothing donations, repatriating the victims of xenophobia, caring for orphans, to mention a few.
Apart from the chain of successful ventures, the business mogul is known to own and drive some of the state-of-the-art vehicles.
His car collection is worth more than $7 million. His net worth is estimated at $100 million.
In June 2020, he topped the headlines after he was involved in a custody tussle with the mother of his son. The case led to him to write to the President of Zimbabwe complaining that he was not getting any protection from the law.
Despite the controversies related to his name, Frank Buyanga depicts how much entrepreneurship can transform one’s life. The best part about it is that he is into empowering youths and vouches for empowering the young generation.
– HMETRO
