Sophia Shaningwa

Sophia Shaningwa (born 13 May 1959 in Outapi) is a Namibian politician, currently serving as Secretary General of the SWAPO party of Namibia. She previously served as Minister for Urban and Rural Development from 21 March 2015 to February 2018 in President Hage Geingob's administration. In 2017 Shaningwa was elected the Secretary-General of the Swapo Party.
Shaningwa left Namibia for exile in May 1980 and underwent military training as a People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) combatant. She studied at Ivanova Teachers Training College in the Soviet Union. Shaningwa was appointed Governor of Khomas Region in 2004. She later served as Governor of Omusati Region. In 2014, she was elected to the National Assembly. She had previously worked at the National Housing Enterprise and served as Windhoek West councillor.
Shaningwa was conferred the Most Distinguished Order of Namibia: First Class on Heroes' Day 2014.