Abraham Iyambo

Abraham Iyambo(2 February 1961 – 2 February 2013) was aNamibianpolitician. Iyambo was a member of theNational Assembly of Namibiasince 1995, serving asMinister of Fisheriesfrom 1997 to 2010 andMinister of Educationfrom 2010 until his death. Iyambo was a member of both the central committee and political bureau of theSWAPO Partyand the chairperson of its think tank.
Iyambo was born atOniimwandion 2 February 1961 in theOshana Regionof northernNamibia, as the fourth of ten children of Helena Gabriel and Agapitus Iyambo. He attended Okata Primary School at his birth village andCanisianum Roman Catholic Private SchoolatOutapifor secondary education.He then went into exile and studied Food Chemistry for four years (1982–1985) inHavana,Cuba. In 1985, he left for theUnited Kingdom, where he took an access course in food studies atSouth LondonCollege. 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.
In 1994, Iyambo worked as a consultant forthe Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) on the work of theMinistry of Agriculture.He also worked as a GTZ consultant for theMinistry of Fisheries and Marine Resourcesand for theMinistry of Education.
Iyambo was a member of both thecentral committeeandpolitical bureauof theSWAPO Partyand the chairperson of itsthink tank.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.In 1997 he was promoted to Minister by PresidentSam Nujoma,a position he held for 12 years until March 2010. In March 2010 he was appointed Minister of Education by PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba.
Iyambo was Namibia's commissioner-general for Expo 1998 held inLisbon,Portugal. He was the chairman ofSADCministers responsible for fisheries from 1997 to 1999. Iyambo was a member of the International Task Force responsible for the fight of globalIllegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing(IUU). In 2001, he was co-chairperson for theReykjavik Declaration of the Ecosystem Fisheries Management.
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 inLondon,United Kingdom, on 2 February 2013.He received astate burialwhere a 17-gunsalutewas fired. Iyambo is interred atWindhoek'sGammams Cemetery.
Abraham Iyambo received several awards for his work, among them theAquaculturistof the Year2009, awarded by the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa, theMargarita LizárragaMedal for 2008/2009, awarded by theFood and Agriculture Organization(FAO), and theKungsfenanSwedish 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 inNamibia's constitutionsince 1990. He also introducedpre-primary educationat 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 theOhangwena RegionintoDr Abraham Iyambo Senior Secondary School.He is also named after a primary school in Windhoek'sMoses Garoeb Constituency, Dr Abraham Iyambo Primary School.