Utoni Nujoma

The Honourable
Utoni Nujoma
The Honourable Utoni Nujoma
Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 22 March 2020
President	Hage Geingob; Nangolo Mbumba
Preceded by	Erkki Nghimtina
Minister of Land Reform
	In office; 21 March 2015 – 22 March 2020
President	Hage Geingob
Preceded by	Alpheus ǃNaruseb
Succeeded by	Calle Schlettwein
Minister of Justice
	In office; 4 December 2012 – 21 March 2015
President	Hifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded by	Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana
Succeeded by	Albert Kawana
Minister of Foreign Affairs
	In office; 21 March 2010 – 4 December 2012
President	Hifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded by	Marco Hausiku
Succeeded by	Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
Deputy Minister of Justice
	In office; 4 December 2004 – 21 March 2010
President	Sam Nujoma; Hifikepunye Pohamba
Personal details
Born	Utoni Daniel Nujoma; 8 September 1952 (age 72); Windhoek, South-West Africa
Nationality	Namibian
Political party	SWAPO
Relations	Aaron Mushimba (uncle)
Parent(s)	Sam Nujoma; (father, born 1929); Kovambo Nujoma; (mother, born 1933)
Alma mater	University of Warwick; Lund University
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Lutheran

Utoni Daniel Nujoma (born 8 September 1952) is a Namibian politician who serves as Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation since March 2020. He has served in various government ministerial positions in the government since 2010.

Nujoma is also a member of both the central committee and the politburo of SWAPO. He is the first born son of Namibia's founding President Sam Nujoma, who was in office as president from 1990 to 2005, and Kovambo Nujoma, the former First Lady of Namibia.

Education and early life

Nujoma was born in Windhoek's Old Location (now Hochland Park) and raised by his mother Kovambo, as his father, SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma left for exile when Utoni was eight years old. He attended Rhenish Missionary School in Windhoek and later the Augustineum but was expelled in 1972 due to his political activity. In May 1974, Nujoma and his two brothers John and Sacky left to join their father in exile in Angola.^[1]^[2]

In 1974, Nujoma was sent to the Soviet Union to receive training in guerrilla warfare. After his return to Zambia he was stationed at the People's Liberation Army of Namibia's military base of Shaatotwa. After Angola became independent in 1975, he was transferred there. In 1986, Nujoma was sent to Cuba for studies in political science; he returned home to South-West Africa in 1988. After the independence of Namibia, he graduated with an LLB degree from University of Warwick in England, United Kingdom (1990) and with an LL.M. degree from Lund University in Sweden (1996).^[2]

Political career

Nujoma served as deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice between 1992 and 1997. He was first elected to the central committee of SWAPO at the party's August 2002 congress,^[3] receiving 316 votes and placing 22nd out of the 57 members elected.^[4] He has served as a member of the National Assembly of Namibia and became Deputy Minister of Justice in 2004.^[2] He received the second highest number of votes in the election for members of the central committee at SWAPO's November 2007 congress.^[5]

Nujoma was promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2010.^[2] In the wake of the December 2012 SWAPO congress and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle, Nujoma became Minister of Justice, succeeding Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana.^[6] Nujoma was appointed as Minister of Land Reform by president Hage Geingob in March 2015.^[7] In 2020, he was appointed to lead the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.^[8]

References

^ Hopwood, Graham. Guide to Namibian Politics, 2007 edition. Namibia Institute for Democracy, Windhoek, 2007
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Nujoma, Utoni". Parliament of Namibia. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
^ Amupadhi, Tangeni (29 August 2002). "Few surprises in CC vote". The Namibian.
^ "The ruling party's new Central Committee". The Namibian. 27 August 2002. Archived from the original on 9 March 2003. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
^ Maletzky, Christof (3 December 2007). "Few surprises in CC vote". The Namibian.
^ Shipanga, Selma; Immanuel, Shinovene (5 December 2012). "Transition team picked". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012.
^ "Geingob announces Cabinet" Archived 2 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Namibian, 20 March 2015.
^ Nakatana, Festus (23 March 2020). "Geingob drops Cabinet surprises". New Era Live. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

[1] Hopwood, Graham. Guide to Namibian Politics, 2007 edition. Namibia Institute for Democracy, Windhoek, 2007

[Parliament-2] "Nujoma, Utoni". Parliament of Namibia. Retrieved 6 July 2022.

[3] Amupadhi, Tangeni (29 August 2002). "Few surprises in CC vote". The Namibian.

[4] "The ruling party's new Central Committee". The Namibian. 27 August 2002. Archived from the original on 9 March 2003. Retrieved 6 July 2022.

[5] Maletzky, Christof (3 December 2007). "Few surprises in CC vote". The Namibian.

[reshuffle-6] Shipanga, Selma; Immanuel, Shinovene (5 December 2012). "Transition team picked". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012.

[7] "Geingob announces Cabinet" Archived 2 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Namibian, 20 March 2015.

[8] Nakatana, Festus (23 March 2020). "Geingob drops Cabinet surprises". New Era Live. Retrieved 13 April 2020.

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