Chief Samuel Ankama (27 October 1957 – 4 July 2021) 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, chieftain, and educator. A member of

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 ...

, Ankama 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 ...

from 2005 till 2021.

Career

Ankama was an internal SWAPO activist beginning in the early 1980s. He was an Information Officer in various organisations, including the Council of Churches in Namibia and the SWAPO-affiliated National Union of Namibian Workers. In 1989, as Namibia's independence became closer, Ankama earned a bachelor's in education from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in Scotland. In 1992, Ankama became the first mayor of

Oshakati Oshakati is a town in northern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Oshana Region and one of Namibia's largest cities both by population and as an economic center. It had a population of 58,656 people in 2023. Oshakati was founded i ...

. Ankama left that position in 1995 when he received a scholarship to study at the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

in England, where he graduated from in 1996 with an MA in language studies. In 2001, he received a

Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

to study in the United States towards his Ph.D., which he earned in 2003 from the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

in literacy and culture. His Ph.D. dissertation was in indigenous Namibian languages in the national education system. From 2003 to 2005, Ankama worked in several senior positions at the

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...

's northern campus in Oshakati. In 2005, he was selected for the SWAPO's list for the National Assembly at the 54th slot and was elected to the 4th National Assembly. Prior to the 2009 elections, Ankama moved up to the 37th spot on SWAPO's electoral list. He was re-elected and appointed Deputy Minister of Works and Transport. In the Cabinet reshuffle following the fifth SWAPO congress in 2012, Chief Ankama swapped positions with Chief Kilus Nguvauva and was the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. He died of post

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

related complications in

Ongwediva Ongwediva is a town in the Oshana Region in the north of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Ongwediva Constituency, Ongwediva electoral constituency. it had 33,777 inhabitants and covered 4,102 hectares of land. Ongwediva has seven ...

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 ...

on 4 July 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ankama, Samuel 1957 births 2021 deaths Politicians from Oshana Region Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) Academic staff of the University of Namibia Namibian chiefs University of Maryland, Baltimore County alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Warwick SWAPO politicians People with albinism Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia 20th-century Namibian politicians 21st-century Namibian politicians Mayors of places in Namibia