Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (born 12 October 1967) 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 South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Kuugongelwa has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia

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...

 since 1995 and Minister of Finance since 2003.

Exile

Born in Okahao

Okahao

Okahao is a town in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia and the district capital of the Okahao electoral constituency. It is situated in the Ongandjera tribal area 73 kilometers west of Oshakati on the main road MR123 ....

, Omusati

Omusati

Omusati region is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. Uutapi at Ombalantu forms a natural centre for this region. Mopani tree is the dominant species; the Makalani palms decrease rapidly westwards from the border with Oshana region...

, Kuugongelwa went into exile with SWAPO in 1980 and left for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

 in 1982 at the age of 15. She attended Koidu Girls Secondary School

Koidu Girls Secondary School

Koidu Girls Secondary School is a government-sponsored secondary school for girls located in Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. Koidu Girls Secondary School was founded in 1952 to educate the girls in Koidu Town. It is the most prominent girls secondary school in the Kono District and one of...

 from 1982 to 1984 and Saint Joseph's Secondary School from 1984 to 1987. From 1991 to 1994, Kuugongelwa attended Lincoln University

Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)

Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...

 in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where she graduated from with a degree in economics.

Political career

The Omusati native returned to Namibia following graduation from Lincoln and took a position as a desk officer in the Office of the President under Sam Nujoma

Sam Nujoma

Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma is a Namibian politician who was the first President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005. He led the South-West Africa People's Organisation in its long struggle against South African rule and took office as President when Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990...

. At the age of 27 in 1995, Kuugongelwa was named Director General of the National Planning Commission

National Planning Commission of Namibia

The National Planning Commission of Namibia is an agency of the Namibian government responsible for planning national priorities and directing the course of national development....

.