Albert Kawana is a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n politician. A member of the SWAPO, Kawana has been a member of the National Assembly

National Assembly of Namibia

The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...

 and Cabinet

Cabinet of Namibia

The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by the Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include the following positions:...

 since 2000, reaching the post of Minister for Presidential Affairs in March 2005. A lawyer by training, Kawana led Namibia's legal team in the Kasikili Island dispute

Kasikili

Kasikili Island, or Sedudu Island , is an island in the Chobe River on the border between Namibia and Botswana, near the Botswanan town of Kasane. It was the subject of a territorial dispute between these countries, resolved by a 1999 decision of the International Court of Justice which ruled in...

, which was argued before the International Court of Justice

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...

 before eventually siding with Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

.

Career in exile

Kawana entered into Namibian politics while in exile in Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

. He graduated in 1979 from the United Nations Institute for Namibia

United Nations Institute for Namibia

The United Nations Institute for Namibia was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia from 1976-1990. Based in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, UNIN was the brainchild of United Nations Commissioner for Namibia Seán MacBride, the proposal creating UNIN was adopted by the...

 (UNIN) with a diploma in Development Studies and Management. He moved onto the University of Warwick

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, where he received his L.L.M.

Bachelor of Laws

The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...

 in 1983 and Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 in 1988. Following graduation, Kawana moved back to Zambia, where he became a lecturer in the final years of UNIN from 1988-1990.

Return from exile

Following Namibia's independence in March 1990, the Caprivian moved back to Namibia to become the first Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, where he lasted until 2000. Chosen by SWAPO to the 3rd National Assembly of Namibia in 2000, he immediately was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister of Justice. Following the 2004 general election

Namibian parliamentary election, 2004

General elections were held in Namibia on 15 and 16 November 2004 to elect the President and National Assembly. The National Assembly election resulted in a landslide win for SWAPO, which won 55 of the 78 seats with over 75% of the vote. SWAPO's candidate for president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won the...

, Kawana was promoted to head the Justice Ministry, becoming the first and thus far only Permanent Secretary to advance to the top post of a Ministry since independence.