Frans Kapofi

Kapofi obtained a Master’s in Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern Institute for Management, ESAMI, Tanzania in 2006. He also attended a Senior International Defence Management Course at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, USA in 1996.^[2]

Kapofi also possesses a Diploma in Modern Management Administration from the Cambridge Tutorial College, Jersey, Britain, which he obtained in 1993. Furthermore, Kapofi has a Diploma: Social Science, Leninist Institute of High Learning, Moscow, USSR which he obtained in 1994.^[2]

Kapofi held various offices during the liberation struggle of Namibia, including Chief Political Commissar of PLAN, SWAPO Defence Headquarters, Lubango (1987-1989); and Deputy Chief Political Commissar of PLAN, SWAPO Defence Headquarters, Lubango (1986-1987), and other various offices in SWAPO.^[2]

A member of SWAPO, he is a military officer by training. Kapofi has been a permanent secretary for various ministries of government since 1990. Thereafter he was appointed cabinet secretary from 1999 to 2015. From 2015 to 2018 he served as Minister of Presidential Affairs.^[1][3] He was appointed Minister of Home Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle on 8 February 2018.^[4] Kapofi retained his portfolio after the 2019 Namibian general election; The ministry gained additionally the portfolio of safety and security in 2020. In a cabinet reshuffle in April 2021, he was moved to the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs.^[5] He has closely worked with all three of Namibia’s heads of state.^[6]

Kapofi retained his position as minister when Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became president in March 2025. On 28 October 2025 he was additionally appointed interim Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy.^[7]