Saara Kuugongelwa
| Saara Kuugongelwa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 4th Prime Minister of Namibia | |
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Assumed office 21 March 2015 |
|
| President | Hage Geingob |
| Preceded by | Hage Geingob |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 October 1967 Okahao, Ovamboland, Southwest Africa |
| Political party | SWAPO |
| Alma mater | Lincoln University, Pennsylvania |
Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (born 12 October 1967) is the fourth and current Prime Minister of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015. Kuugongelwa is a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). She has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 1995 and served as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2015.
Born in Otamanzi, Omusati, Kuugongelwa went into exile with SWAPO in 1980 at the age of 13 and left for Sierra Leone in 1982 at the age of 15. She attended Koidu Girls Secondary School from 1982 to 1984 and Saint Joseph's Secondary School from 1984 to 1987. From 1991 to 1994, Kuugongelwa attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, United States, where she graduated with a degree in economics.
Kuugongelwa returned to Namibia following graduation from Lincoln and took a position as a desk officer in the Office of the President under President Sam Nujoma. At the age of 27 in 1995, Kuugongelwa was named Director General of the National Planning Commission. She was appointed as Minister of Finance in 2003.
On Heroes' Day 2014 she was conferred the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, Second Class.
Alongside President Hage Geingob, Kuugongelwa was sworn in as the 4th Prime Minister of Namibia on 21 March 2015. She is the first woman to hold the position.
In May 2016 Kuugongelwa took part in “A Conversation with The Right Honourable Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia,” a moderated discussion with Wilson Center’s Women in Public Service Project, the Wilson Center Africa Program, and the Constituency for Africa. She has spoken about gender equality on numerous occasions, including during the Mali Prime Minister Modibo Keita's visit and in a speech (read by Christine Hoebes on her behalf) at the 10th Namibian Women's Summit where she stated that it would take 70 years to close the gender pay gap across Africa.
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