Namibia is set to make history today as it inaugurates Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as its first female president. Her victory in last year’s elections extends the ruling SWAPO party’s 35-year dominance in the southern African nation.
At 72, Nandi-Ndaitwah will join the ranks of a few female leaders in the region.
Her swearing-in ceremony will be attended by heads of state from neighboring countries, including Angola and South Africa.
A veteran member of SWAPO, the party that led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, she previously served as vice president.
Popularly known as NNN, Nandi-Ndaitwah secured 58 percent of the vote in the turbulent November elections, which faced delays due to logistical challenges.
The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) put up a strong fight but garnered only 25.5 percent, showing continued support for SWAPO even as the influence of other liberation movements in the region has declined.
Youth unemployment was a central issue in the election, with 44 percent of Namibians aged 18 to 34 unemployed in 2023.
On the eve of her inauguration, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasized job creation as a top priority, pledging to generate at least 500,000 jobs over the next five years.
She noted that achieving this goal would require an investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion).
Key sectors for employment growth, she said, include agriculture, fishing, and the creative and sports industries.
Addressing political divisions following the IPC’s unsuccessful court challenge to annul the election, she called for unity: “We can debate during campaigns, but once elections are over, we must work together to build Namibia.”
Reflecting on her historic election, she told South Africa’s national broadcaster SABC: “Breaking the ceiling, breaking the walls—it’s a good thing.”
A conservative and the daughter of an Anglican pastor, Nandi-Ndaitwah has maintained strict views on abortion, which remains illegal in Namibia except in exceptional cases. Same-sex marriage is also prohibited.
An active SWAPO member since her teenage years, she spent time in exile in Moscow during Namibia’s liberation struggle.
As foreign minister from 2012 to 2024, she highlighted Namibia’s “good historical relations” with North Korea.
Namibia, one of the world’s top uranium producers, supplies the metal to nuclear power-producing countries, including France. The country is also rich in diamonds and aims to tap into its natural gas and oil reserves.
While Namibia has immense potential for solar and wind energy, reports suggest Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed skepticism about the sector’s viability.
