Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has officially taken office as Namibia’s first female president, following her victory in last year’s election. Her win extends the governing party SWAPO’s 35-year rule in the country.
The 72-year-old leader was sworn in on Friday during a ceremony attended by several African heads of state, including leaders from Angola, South Africa, and Tanzania. This marks a historic moment, as she becomes one of the few women to lead a nation on the African continent.
Outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba, 83, transferred power to Nandi-Ndaitwah at a ceremony initially planned for Independence Stadium but relocated to State House due to unexpected heavy rains. The event coincided with Namibia’s 35th Independence Day celebrations.
In her inaugural address, she acknowledged the significance of her election but emphasized that her leadership is based on competence and merit.
While recognizing Namibia’s progress since gaining independence in 1990, she noted that much work remains to be done.
Having served as vice president for a year before her election, Nandi-Ndaitwah is a veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), the party that led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa.
On the eve of her inauguration, she highlighted job creation as a top priority.
“In the next five years, we must produce at least 500,000 jobs,” she told South Africa’s national broadcaster, SABC, estimating that it would require an investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion). She identified agriculture, fishing, and the creative and sports industries as key sectors for employment growth.
Amid political tensions that emerged during the election, including a failed court challenge by the IPC party seeking to annul the results, Nandi-Ndaitwah called for national unity.
“We can make our politics during the campaign and so on, but once it’s over, we must build Namibia together,” she said.
She also reaffirmed her commitment to the “willing-buyer, willing-seller” land reform principle, which ensures that no one is forced to sell their land.
Namibia, a vast country with a population of just three million, has one of the highest levels of inequality in the world. Government statistics indicate that white farmers own about 70% of the country’s farmland, while the 2023 census recorded 53,773 white Namibians, making up 1.8% of the total population.
According to the World Bank, Namibia had a Gini coefficient of 59.1 in 2015, reflecting extreme income inequality. Poverty remains a pressing issue, with projections estimating a poverty rate of 17.2% in 2024.
The unemployment rate has also worsened, rising to 36.9% in 2023 from 33.4% in 2018, according to Namibia’s statistics agency.
She’s only the second woman in Africa to be directly elected president, after Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She’s also one of only two female heads of state in Africa, alongside Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan.
