Helmut Pau Kangulohi Angula (born 11 November 1945) is 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 businessman, politician, former cabinet minister and writer. He is currently the director of various private companies after leaving government in 2010 and a longtime member of the central committee and the

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the ruling

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...

party.

Biography

Angula was born in Ontananga,

Oshikoto Region Oshikoto is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, named after Lake Otjikoto. Its capital is Omuthiya. Further major settlements in the region are Tsumeb, Otjikoto's capital until 2008, and Oniipa. , Oshikoto had 112,170 registered voters. Ge ...

, and joined SWAPO in 1963, just three years after the movement's founding. Angula holds an M.Sc Degree from Voronezh State University in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. During his time with SWAPO, Angula served as the deputy principal of the Health and Education Center in Nyango, Zambia, from 1975 to 1976 and then rose to director of the center until 1977. From 1977 to 1986, he was SWAPO's chief representative to Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, and from 1986 to 1989, he served as the SWAPO's permanent observer at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in New York and as the chief representative to North America. He was elected to 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 ...

in 1990. He was deputy minister of Mines and Energy from 1990 to 1991, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1991 to 1995,

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 1995 to 1996, and Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development from 1996 to 2004. In 2005, Angula was appointed director-general of the National Planning Commission, where he was responsible for negotiating the Namibia- US Millennium Challenge Account Agreement worth $380 million US and supported programs implemented by US/Namibian Governments in the education, environment, and agricultural sectors. He was also responsible for negotiating with the World Bank and the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programs "ETSIP" Agreement. A vacancy on the SWAPO list in November 2007 opened up a seat in the National Assembly, and Angula was subsequently sworn in as a Member of Parliament again at the beginning of a parliamentary session on 22 November 2007. In April 2008, he was appointed Minister of Works and Transport and held this position until March 2010. Since leaving the government, Angula has embarked on various business activities. Angula is currently a member of SWAPO's central committee and

, and its secretary for the Department of Transportation. Angula was not re-elected to the National Assembly in the November 2009 parliamentary election and instead pursued a business career. On

Heroes' Day Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that ...

2014, he was conferred the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, Second Class.

Writing

In 1988, he published "The Two Thousand Days of Haimbodi Ya Haufiku," an "autobiographical novel from Namibia." The novel was first published in German translation by Karl H. Heidtmann, based on the original English-language manuscript and reworked in collaboration with the author, an edition in the original English followed in 1990.

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angula, Helmut 1945 births Living people Politicians from Oshikoto Region Ovambo people SWAPO politicians Works and transport ministers of Namibia Agriculture ministers of Namibia Finance ministers of Namibia Fisheries ministers of Namibia Members of the 1st National Assembly 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 Directors-general of the National Planning Commission of Namibia Voronezh State University alumni