Namibia swears in First Female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Namibia has made history as Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is sworn in as the country’s first female president on Friday.

Her victory in last year’s elections extended the ruling SWAPO party’s 35-year grip on power.

At 72, Nandi-Ndaitwah becomes one of the few female leaders in Southern Africa. Her inauguration ceremony will be attended by leaders from neighboring countries, including Angola and South Africa. Before becoming president, she served as vice president and has been a long-time member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Popularly called NNN, she won 58% of the vote in the November elections, which were marred by delays due to logistical failures. The opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) put up a strong fight but managed only 25.5% of the vote, showing that many Namibians still remain loyal to SWAPO despite declining support for other liberation movements in the region.

A key issue in the election was unemployment, particularly among the youth. In 2023, 44% of Namibians aged 18 to 34 were jobless. On the eve of her inauguration, NNN promised to tackle the problem, stating, “In the next five years we must produce at least 500,000 jobs.” She told South Africa’s SABC that achieving this goal would require an investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion). She highlighted agriculture, fishing, and the creative and sports industries as key areas for job creation.

Despite political divisions during the elections, she called for unity, saying, “We can make our politics during the campaign and so on, but once it’s over, we must build Namibia together.”

On her historic win as Namibia’s first female president, she added, “Of course, it’s a good thing that we are breaking the ceiling, we are breaking the walls.”

NNN, who is the daughter of an Anglican pastor, is known for her conservative stance on social issues. She opposes abortion except in exceptional cases, and same-sex marriage remains illegal in Namibia.

A SWAPO member since her teenage years, she spent time in exile in Moscow during Namibia’s fight for independence. As foreign minister between 2012 and 2024, she praised Namibia’s strong historical ties with North Korea.

Namibia is one of the world’s top uranium producers, supplying countries that generate nuclear power, including France.

The country is also rich in diamonds and has significant gas and oil deposits. While it has great potential for solar and wind energy, media reports suggest Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed doubts about the sector’s viability.