The Argos Security Worker Who Became President. Adama Barrow-"Life is a process, and the UK helped me to become the person I am today. Working 15 hours a day at Argos builds a man."

He is the man who made west Africans hold their breath in fear of an impending civil crisis after winning an election but was made to wait because a greedy incumbent refused to relinquish power. Allied forces eventually came to his aid to give him what was rightfully his. 

Barrow was born on 16 February 1965 in Mankamang Kunda, a small village near Basse Santa Su, two days before the Gambia achieved independence from the United Kingdom. He is the son of Mamudu Barrow and Kaddijatou Jallow. He attended the local Koba Kunda primary school, and then Crab Island Secondary School in Banjul. He then received a scholarship to study at the Muslim High School. After leaving school, he worked for Alhagie Musa & Sons, a gas company, and rose through the ranks to become a sales manager. 

In the early 2000s, he moved to London where he studied for qualifications in real estate. Concurrently, he worked as a security guard at a local Argos store in order to finance his studies. He later described these experiences as formative, saying "Life is a process, and the UK helped me to become the person I am today. Working 15 hours a day builds a man."

Barrow returned to the Gambia following his graduation. In 2006, he established Majum Real Estate, and from 2006 to 2016 was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company.

So there is hope for Africans in diaspora, one day, the future of our respective countries may be in our hands.