Sam Nujoma was born on May 12^th 1929 in the Omusati region of Namibia. He was born in a family of subsistence farmers and like other youths of his time, he spent his early life looking after cattle and cultivating land. The young Nujoma attended Okaliao Finnish Mission School from 1937 to 1945 and in 1946, he moved to Walvis Bay.

He later moved to Windhoek, where he worked for the South African Railways and at the same time, attended evening classes at St. Barnabas School. He acquired a junior certificate from the Trans Africa Correspondence College in South Africa. He married in 1956 and has three children after his second eldest son passed away in 1993.

Nujoma's political career began with his involvement in the mobilisation and organisation of workers in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and other places in Namibia. In 1959, he was elected president of Ovambo People's Organisation (OPO), which later became SWAPO Nujoma's strong opposition to the South

African occupying forces earned him imprisonment in 1960. He went into exile in March 1960.

His first show on the international scene was when he attended the All African People's Conference called by Nkrumah in April 1960, to oppose the French testing of nuclear weapons in Sahara.

While in Tanzania, Nujoma requested and was granted hearing by the UNO, but he could not address the UNO for security reasons.

In August 1966, Nujoma commanded protracted guerrilla warfare against South Africa to liberate Namibia. Fighting continued until 1898 when a ceasefire was organised.

In the pre-independence elections of 1989, SWAPO won and the Constituent Assembly elected Nujoma as first president of Namibia,

Nujoma was re-elected in 1994 and secured a controversial third term in 1999. His contributions to the decolonisation of Namibia included:

He worked with other blacks in Namibia to establish SWAPO, which fought for and won independence.

He was elected president of SWAPO, which he led to bring independence to Namibia.

He organised and mobilised workers across Namibia to oppose the black colonial labour laws.

The opposed the introduction of apartheid In Namibia in 1966. He opposed the movement of blacks in Namibia to the created homelands.

He successfully convinced the UN Fourth Committee on Southwest Africa to hear issues relating to Namibia.

While in New York, Nujoma petitioned the UNO General Assembly and demanded the end of South African occupation of Namibia.

He represented Namibia at the formation of NAM in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961.

He represented Namibia at the founding of the OAU in May 1963, where he presented Namibia's case for independence.

He solicited for and got support from Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, the Soviet Union, Cuba and Zambia, which was used in the struggle for independence. „

In 1971, Nujoma became the first leader of African Nationalist Movement, to address the United Nations Security Council.

Nujoma led the SWAPO team in negotiations with the UNO, South Africa and the Frontline States. The negotiations led to the adoption of Resolution 435, which was a landmark in the eventual decolonisation of Namibia.

He signed a ceasefire agreement with South Africa in March 1989, which laid the foundation for the implementation of Resolution 435, which brought independence to Namibia.