Namibia swears in its first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on Friday, following her victory in last year’s elections, which extended the ruling party’s 35-year hold on power.
At 72, Nandi-Ndaitwah will join a select group of women leaders in Southern Africa when she takes the oath of office in a ceremony attended by neighboring heads of state, including Angola and South Africa.
A longtime member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), Nandi-Ndaitwah served as vice president and played a key role in Namibia’s independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. She won 58% of the vote in a chaotic November election that faced multiple delays due to logistical issues. The opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) made a strong showing, securing 25.5% of the vote, but SWAPO’s longstanding dominance remained intact.
Unemployment, particularly among Namibia’s young population, was a central issue during the election. Nearly 44% of individuals aged 18 to 34 were unemployed in 2023, with the country’s small population of just 3 million struggling to absorb jobseekers. Addressing this issue is a key priority for Nandi-Ndaitwah. She plans to create at least 500,000 jobs in the next five years, requiring an investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars (about $4.67 billion or 4.3 billion euros). Key sectors for job creation include agriculture, fishing, and the creative and sports industries.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has also called for political unity following tensions during the election, particularly after the IPC sought to annul the results in a failed court action. “We can have our politics during the campaign, but once it’s over, we must build Namibia together,” she said.
On becoming Namibia’s first woman president, Nandi-Ndaitwah told South Africa’s SABC: “It’s a good thing that we are breaking the ceiling, we are breaking the walls.”
A conservative figure, Nandi-Ndaitwah is known for her strict stance on abortion, which is banned in Namibia except in exceptional circumstances. She also opposes gay marriage, which is illegal in the country. A member of SWAPO since her youth, she spent time in exile in Moscow during the liberation struggle. As foreign minister from 2012 to 2024, she emphasized Namibia’s “good historical relations” with North Korea.
Namibia is one of the world’s leading producers of natural uranium, supplying the metal to nuclear power-producing countries, including France. The country is also rich in diamonds and has significant potential in natural gas, oil, and renewable energy sectors, although Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed skepticism about the viability of large-scale solar and wind projects.
AFP
