Saara Kuugongelwa

Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (born 12 October 1967) is a Namibian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Namibia since 2015.

Saara Kuugongelwa was born on 12 October 1967 in Otamanzi, South West Africa (present day Namibia).

She 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, she attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, United States, where she graduated with a MSc in financial economics.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila returned to Namibia following her graduation from Lincoln University and took a position as economist in the Office of the President under Sam Nujoma.

She is a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) and has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 1995.

She was Economist, Office of the President in 1995 and Director General of National Planning Commission from 1995 to 2003.

In 1995, after only a few months in the job, Nujoma appointed her to parliament at the age of 27, and made her director general of the National Planning Commission, a position in the rank of a minister.

She served as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2015.

She is the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Namibia.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila holds a Hon. Doctorate in Public Finance and MSC in Financial Economics.

In 2003 Nujoma promoted her to Minister of Finance.

She has spoken about gender equality on numerous occasions, including during Malian 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.

Kuugongelwa is married to businessman Onesmus Tobias Amadhila.

On Heroes' Day 2014, she was conferred the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, Second Class.

Alongside President Hage Geingob, she 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, she 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.