Albert Kawana

Albert Kawana (born 26 March 1956) is a Namibian politician. A member of SWAPO, Kawana was a member of the National Assembly and cabinet since 2000 to 21 March 2025. From 22 April 2021 t0 21 March 2025 he was a minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security. A lawyer by training, Kawana led Namibia's legal team in the Kasikili Island dispute, which was argued before the International Court of Justice.

Early life and education Kawana was born on 26 March 1956 at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region. He entered Namibian politics while in exile in Zambia. In 1979 he graduated from the United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) with a diploma in Development Studies and Management. He moved on to the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, where he received his L.L.M. in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1988. Following graduation, Kawana moved back to Zambia, where he became a lecturer in the final years of UNIN from 1988 to 1990.

In 2005 he became minister for presidential affairs, serving until 2015. During a cabinet reshuffle in February 2018, he swapped positions with Sacky Shanghala and became attorney general, also in the rank of a minister. Kawana became minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources after the incumbent Bernhardt Esau resigned in November 2019 in the wake of the Fishrot scandal. In a cabinet reshuffle in April 2021, he was moved to the Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security ministry.

Award Albert Kawana was awarded The Most Brilliant Order of the Sun second-class for his distinguished service above the call of duty, in August 2024 by President Nangolo Mbumba.