Dr. Alfred van Kent is a Physicist by training with a Master’s Degree and Ph. D in Physics, and a Masters of Business Administration and a Post Graduate Certificate in Environmental Engineering. He joined the government of the Republic of Namibia, at the Ministry of Higher Education in 1996 as Director for National Research, Science and Technology. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Permanent Secretary and thereafter Permanent Secretary / Executive Director responsible Higher Education, Technical Vocational Education and Training as well as Science, Technology and Innovation in 2015. His current key areas of engagement in Higher Education, Technical Vocational Education and Training, as well as Science, Technology and Innovation include governance oversight, financial allocation and management, national policy and strategy development, and strategic project implementation.