Abraham Iyambo (2 February 1961 – 2 February 2013) was a

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n politician. Iyambo was a member of the

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of cl ...

since 1995, serving as Minister of Fisheries from 1997 to 2010 and

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

from 2010 until his death. Iyambo was a member of both the central committee and political bureau of the SWAPO Party and the chairperson of its think tank.

Education

Iyambo was born at Oniimwandi on 2 February 1961 in the

Oshana Region Oshana is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia; its capital is Oshakati. The towns of Oshakati, Ongwediva and Ondangwa, all situated with this region, form an urban cluster with the second largest population concentration in Namibia after the c ...

of northern

, as the fourth of ten children of Helena Gabriel and Agapitus Iyambo. He attended Okata Primary School at his birth village and Canisianum Roman Catholic Private School at

Outapi Outapi wa Nakafingo na Temba, also Outapi or Uutapi and Ombalantu, is a town in northern Namibia near the border with Angola, situated northwest of Oshakati. It is the capital of the Omusati region and the district capital of the Outapi electo ...

for secondary education. He then went into exile and studied Food Chemistry for four years (1982–1985) in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where he took an access course in food studies at

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

College. Upon completing the access course, he began studying towards his BSc in ⠀⠀Food Science⠀⠀ from ⠀⠀the University of Surrey⠀⠀and graduated in 1990. From 1991 to 1994, he continued at Surrey, studying towards a PhD, which he received in 1994.

Career

In 1994, Iyambo worked as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the work of the Ministry of Agriculture. He also worked as a GTZ consultant for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and for the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. Iyambo was a member of both the central committee and political bureau of the SWAPO Party and the chairperson of its

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

. In 1995 he became a member of parliament and was appointed as deputy minister of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources for a period of two years.Abraham Iyambo
at Namibia's Institute for Democracy In 1997 he was promoted to Minister by President

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma ( ; 12May 19298February 2025) was a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first president of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and t ...

, a position he held for 12 years until March 2010. In March 2010 he was appointed Minister of Education by President

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 Namibian presidential election, 2004 presidential election overwhelming ...

. Iyambo was Namibia's commissioner-general for Expo 1998 held in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Portugal. He was the chairman of SADC ministers responsible for fisheries from 1997 to 1999. Iyambo was a member of the International Task Force responsible for the fight of global Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU). In 2001, he was co-chairperson for the ''Reykjavik Declaration of the Ecosystem Fisheries Management''.DR. Abraham Iyambo Profile
Retrieved 2 March 2013

Death and legacy

Iyambo had health problems related to high blood pressure for some years. He died from a stroke on his 52nd birthday while on business travel in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom, on 2 February 2013. He received a state burial where a 17-gun

salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sc ...

was fired. Iyambo is interred at

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

's Gammams Cemetery. Abraham Iyambo received several awards for his work, among them the '' Aquaculturist of the Year'' 2009, awarded by the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa, the Margarita Lizárraga Medal for 2008/2009, awarded by the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

(FAO), and the '' Kungsfenan Swedish Seafood Award''. In Namibia, he was known for being a workaholic and a highly effective government minister, independent of what his current portfolio was. His time at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources earned him the nickname "Dr. Fish" in honourable recognition of his many achievements. During his tenure at the Ministry of Education, Iyambo implemented free primary education, a right enshrined in Namibia's constitution since 1990. He also introduced

pre-primary education A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin c ...

at state schools. His request to "deliver, deliver, and deliver" became a popular slogan for educators and learners alike. One year after his death government renamed Oshikunde Senior Secondary School in the

Ohangwena Region Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi as well as the self-governed village of Okongo and the proclaimed settlements Ongha, Ongenga and O ...

into Dr Abraham Iyambo Senior Secondary School. He is also named after a primary school in Windhoek's Moses Garoeb Constituency, Dr Abraham Iyambo Primary School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyambo, Nickey 1961 births 2013 deaths Politicians from Oshana Region Ovambo people SWAPO politicians Fisheries ministers of Namibia Education ministers of Namibia Members of the 2nd National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 3rd National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 4th National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 5th National Assembly of Namibia Alumni of the University of Surrey