WINDHOEK, Namibia — Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah made history on Friday as she was sworn in as Namibia’s first female president, nearly six decades after joining the liberation movement against apartheid South Africa.
The 72-year-old leader won the presidential election in November, becoming one of the few female heads of state in Africa, following in the footsteps of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania.
Dignitaries from across the continent, including former presidents Sirleaf and Banda, as well as Tanzania’s current President Hassan, attended her inauguration.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s swearing-in coincided with Namibia’s 35th anniversary of independence. Initially planned for a soccer stadium to accommodate thousands, the ceremony was moved to the official presidential office due to heavy rain.
She took the oath of office before a gathering of international leaders, including representatives from South Africa, Zambia, Congo, Botswana, Angola, and Kenya.
Nandi-Ndaitwah assumes office following the tenure of interim President Nangolo Mbumba, who had led the country since February 2024 after the death of President Hage Geingob. Before her election victory, she served as Namibia’s vice president.
As Namibia’s fifth president, Nandi-Ndaitwah leads a sparsely populated country in southwestern Africa that was under German colonial rule until World War I and later gained independence from South Africa in 1990 after decades of armed struggle.
“The task before me as president is to safeguard the achievements of our independence while ensuring the economic and social advancement of all Namibians,” she stated in her inaugural address. “We must move forward with determination to bring about shared and balanced prosperity.”
A long-standing member of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), Namibia’s ruling party since independence, Nandi-Ndaitwah joined the movement as a teenager in the 1960s. She spent years in exile across Zambia, Tanzania, the former Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom before Namibia’s liberation.
With a political career spanning decades, Nandi-Ndaitwah has served in various governmental roles, including as foreign minister. She has pledged to uphold good governance, strengthen regional partnerships, and advocate for global issues such as Palestinian self-determination and lifting sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Namibia, a nation of three million people frequently affected by drought, will also continue contributing to global climate action under her leadership.
Her inauguration came a day after Namibia’s Parliament elected its first female speaker, marking another milestone in the nation’s political progress.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s husband, a retired general and former commander of Namibia’s armed forces, has been officially designated as the country’s “first gentleman.”
With her election, Namibia takes a significant step forward in gender representation, setting a precedent for future generations of leaders.
