Namibia: Women Should Lead Based On Merit, Namibia’s Female President Says
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, was inaugurated as Namibia’s first female and 5th president since its independence in 1990.
The longtime loyalist of the Southwest Africa People Organization (SWAPO Party), a political party that began as a liberation to advocate for the freedom of the country from South Africa and became the country’s leading party following independence in 1990, Nandi-Ndaitwah won the election in November 2024, defeating former president, Nangolo Mbumba, 83.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is the second democratically elected female president in Africa, after Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who became the country’s 24th head of state and served two terms—twelve years.
Her inauguration coincided with the country’s 35th independence celebration, with prominent women leaders across Africa, including Sirleaf, who led a delegation on behalf of Liberia’s president, Joseph Boakai.
In her inaugural speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah highlighted her long history of gender equality, adding that she believed that it is not good for society to underplay the role that one segment of the population can play in the social, political, and economic fabric of society.
She described the decision by her party—the SWAPO Party Congress of 2002 took a bold decision to amend the party’s constitution to provide for 50/50 representation in leadership in all party structures. “The SWAPO Party-led government also followed this policy in the running of the government. The result has been encouraging, as many women, including myself, have been occupying strategic positions in government.”
Nandi-Ndaitwah urged her fellow women to strive for more and present themselves for leadership roles based on merit and not because they are women. “I believe that having been elected as president of my country encourage women from all walks of life to stand up to be counted, with a clear understanding that I was not elected because I am a woman, but on merit. That is to say, as women, we should not ask to be elected to positions of responsibility because we are women, but because we are capable members of our societies to hold those positions.”
“We may all know that equality between women and men and the empowerment of women is a work in progress all over the world. However, in Namibia, we have made good progress, but still, a lot remains to be done.”
She promised to increase investments in the development of infrastructure to open up investment opportunities, enhance economic productivity, promote economic growth, and improve the quality of life for the Namibian people.
“The development of any country depends on the quality of its human resources. To this end, education and training will continue to be a priority to ensure that we develop technical and managerial skills and work ethics that are required in the labor market, to efficiently and effectively manage the economy and create the necessary jobs.”
The president also called for the country to implement universal health coverage.
Africa is making headway towards gender equality. Although activists and advocates are calling for more efforts and support for women. The election of Namibia’s president has once again put the continent on the global stage as efforts towards equality. Her elevation adds to the women leaders, including Vice President Joyce Banda of Malawi and Samia Suluhu Hassan in Tanzania.
By Liberian Observer.
