Otto Herrigel

Otto Herrigel (* June 27, 1937 in Walvis Bay, † May 13 2013 in Windhoek ) was a deutschnamibischer lawyer, businessman and politician of German origin. He was the first finance minister of Namibia between 1990 and 1992 after the country's independence. Herrigel was a member of SWAPO.

Career

Herrigel was born in Walvis Bay and grew up in nearby Swakopmund. He studied economics at the University of Heidelberg in 1971 and received a Ph.D. at the University of Basel. In his doctoral thesis Herrigel dealt with the demographics and economy of South West Africa since 1921.

Herrigel was even before the independence of Namibia member of SWAPO. Until his appointment as the first Finance Minister of independent Namibia, he worked as a lawyer, farmer and businessman. Herrigel was also chairman of the Namibian Chamber of Commerce.

1992 Herrigel came because of internal disputes back to the fiscal policy of the country with the then President Sam Nujoma. He has since held directorships at Bank of Namibia between 1998 and 2008 and the company Transnamib zwischen 2000 and 2001.

Herrigel and his wife Karin have raised two so-called GDR children.