Honorable Minister Dr Abraham Iyambo

Dr. Abraham Iyambo was born at Onimwandi, Oshana Region, Namibia. He studied Food Chemistry in Cuba, where he finished his studies in 1981. He then studied further in England at the University of Surrey, where he obtained a B.Sc. in Food Science in 1990 and a Ph.D in 1994. In 1994 he worked as a consultant for FAO on the work of the Ministry of Agriculture. He also worked as GTZ consultant for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and for the Ministry of Education. 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 2 years. In 1997 he became the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, a position he held for 12 years until March 2010. In March 2010 he became the Minister of Education.

Dr. Iyambo was Namibia’s Commissioner General for Expo 1998 held in Portugal, Lisbon. He was the Chairman of SADC Ministers responsible for Fisheries from 1997-1999. Dr. Iyambo was a member of the International Task Force responsible for the fight of global Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU).

Dr Iyambo is a member of both the Central Committee and Political Bureau of SWAPO Party (the ruling Party in Namibia) and the Chairperson of his Party “Think Tank”. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1995. In 2001, he was Co-Chairperson for the Reykjavik Declaration of the Ecosystem Fisheries Management.

In 2009 he was awarded 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 (FAO) and the Kungsfenan Swedish Seafood Award.