17 Facts About Nickey Iyambo

Nickey Iyambo was a Namibian politician and physician who served as the first Vice President of Namibia.

Nickey Iyambo was the Minister of Health and Social Services from 1990 to 1996, Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing from 1996 to 2002, Minister of Mines and Energy from 2002 to 2005, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry from 2005 to 2008, Minister of Safety and Security from 2008 to 2010, and Minister of Veteran Affairs since 2010.

Nickey Iyambo assumed the newly created vice president position in 2015 and served until 2018, when he retired due to poor health.

Nickey Iyambo continued to head the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs until his death.

Nickey Iyambo was born in Onayena, Ovamboland, South West Africa, now in Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia.

Nickey Iyambo went to a school that had been founded by Finnish missionaries near to his home, and having completed the school, we was given a job as Namibia's first Black postmaster from 1962 to 1963.

Nickey Iyambo was amongst the earliest SWAPO members to go into exile and helped establish SWAPO's close relationship with Julius Nyerere's Tanzania.

In late 1965, Nickey Iyambo arrived in Finland, and he found living quarters at Domus Academica, the student housing unit of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki, where he shared a room with future politician and Governor of the Bank of Finland Erkki Liikanen.

Nickey Iyambo began his studies with the Finnish language, and at the same time, he participated in the students' social life, through which he became friends with many Finns and helped to raise their level of knowledge of African affairs, which was becoming increasingly interesting for Finns in the 1960s.

Nickey Iyambo first studied political science in Helsinki, attaining first the intermediary degree of bachelor of political science and then a master's degree in 1970, after which he studied medicine, attaining first the title of bachelor of medicine, and in 1980, the degree of licenciate of medicine, qualifying him to work as a medical doctor.

Around the time of the independence of Namibia, Nickey Iyambo was among the first people in SWAPO leadership to arrive back in Namibia to prepare the country for elections as well as receiving the exiled fellow countrymen.

At independence in March 1990, Nickey Iyambo became Minister of Health and Social Services, serving in that post until 1996.

Nickey Iyambo was moved to the post of Minister of Safety and Security on 8 April 2008.

Nickey Iyambo was SWAPO's oldest member of parliament as of 2014.

Alongside president Hage Geingob, Nickey Iyambo was sworn in as Vice President of Namibia on 21 March 2015, becoming the first person to hold that title.

Nickey Iyambo explained that he had a full agenda of work that kept him busy until midnight every day.

Nickey Iyambo retained the ministerial portfolio of Veteran Affairs and Marginalised People, and kept his seat in parliament.