Nangolo Mbumba, who studied entomology at UConn in the 1970s, officially became Namibia’s fourth president on Sunday, following the passing of President Hage Geingob.

Mbumba became acting president when the late president traveled to the United States for cancer treatment on January 24. He was sworn in following Geingob’s passing on Feb. 5.

“Even in this time of loss, our Nation remains calm and stable,” said Mbumba during his acceptance speech. “This is owing to the visionary leadership and foresight of President Geingob, who was the chief architect of the Namibian Constitution and the champion of our Governance Architecture.”

During the ceremony, he appointed Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to be Vice President. He expected to finish Geingob’s term, which ends in March 2025, and has said he will not run for the presidency.

Mbumba was born in 1941 and attended Southern Connecticut State University, where he received a BS in 1971. He studied at UConn from 1971 to 1973, earning enough credits for a Master of Science degree. Mbumba taught at Harlem Preparatory School in New York before returning to Africa to become Head of the Science Department at the Namibia Education Centre.

Before assuming the presidency, he had served many Namibian leadership roles, including Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Water and Rural Development, Minister of Finance, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Minister of Education and Vice President of Namibia. He has also served as Chancellor of the University of Namibia.