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Friday, March 21, 2025
Image: World Intellectual Property Organization.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, was sworn in as Namibia’s first female president on Friday. She won the presidential election in November 2024 as the candidate of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO).
SWAPO secured 53% of the parliamentary vote in the election, winning 51 out of 91 seats. The opposition party, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), secured 20 seats.
Nandi-Ndaitwah became the second woman to hold a presidential position in Africa. Her inauguration was attended by dignitaries, including seven incumbent and nine former African presidents. In her inaugural address, she stated, “We are going to increase investments in the agriculture sector to boost output and meet domestic food requirements.”
A veteran politician and long-time SWAPO member, Nandi-Ndaitwah joined the party at the age of 14 during Namibia’s liberation movement and went into exile in 1973 to join the movement.
According to a BBC article, Namibia’s unemployment rate rose to 36.9% in 2023. She stated the need to create jobs, particularly for the country’s youth, saying, “We must create jobs to take care of the unemployed, of which the majority are the youth.”
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised within SWAPO regarding the vacant party vice-president position, which Nandi-Ndaitwah left to run for president. SWAPO MP Tobie Aupindi confirmed that the position would remain unfilled until the next ordinary congress in 2027, while party member Henning Melber expressed reservations about the delay.
