Otto Herrigel (27 June 1937 – 13 May 2013) was a Namibian businessman, and politician. He served as Namibia's first Minister of Finance between 1990 and 1992.

Otto Herrigel
Minister of Finance
In office
21 March 1990 – 10 April 1992
PresidentSam Nujoma
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byGert Hanekom
Personal details
Born(1937-06-27)27 June 1937
Walvis Bay
Died13 May 2013(2013-05-13) (aged 75)
Windhoek
NationalityNamibia Namibian
Political party SWAPO
SpouseKarin Herrigel
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Heidelberg
University of Basel
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer
[1]

Herrigel was born in Walvis Bay and grew up in Swakopmund. He studied economics at University of Heidelberg, and in 1971 obtained a doctoral degree from University of Basel, his thesis was about the demographic and economic development of South West Africa since 1921.[2]

A member of SWAPO since before Independence of Namibia, Herrigel worked as a businessman and farmer, before he was appointed Namibia's first Minister of Finance on 21 March 1990. Prominent businessman and then-Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Harold Pupkewitz commented "Dr Herrigel [is a] man of decision-making abilities and sound judgement".[3] Herrigel resigned in 1992, reportedly due to differences with president Sam Nujoma over fiscal policy and the procurement of a presidential aircraft. Afterwards Herrigel was on the board of the Bank of Namibia (1998-2008), and on the board of directors of TransNamib (2001-2002).[4]

Herrigel and his wife Karin raised two GDR kids as foster children, children that were removed from their parents and brought up in the German Democratic Republic.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Otto Herrigel verstorben". Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 17 May 2013. p. 3.
  2. ^ Eriksen, Tore Linné; Moorsom, Richard (1989). United Nations Institute for Namibia (ed.). The Political Economy of Namibia: An Annotated Critical Bibliography. Norwegian foreign policy studies. Vol. 69. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 127. ISBN 9789171062970.
  3. ^ Torreguitar, Elena (2009). National Liberation Movement in Office: Forging Democracy With African Adjectives in Namibia. European University Studies; Political Science. Vol. 567. Peter Lang. p. 398. ISBN 9783631579954.
  4. ^ a b Menges, Werner (17 May 2013). "Former Finance Minister Otto Herrigel dies". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013.