March 22, 2025 – Windhoek, Namibia.

History was made in Namibia on Friday when Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, became the country’s first female president, marking a highlight in the political history of the country. The election last year where the 35-year reign of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party was sustained was before an inauguration ceremony where heads of state from the whole African continent were in attendance.

Originally scheduled to take place at Independence Stadium, the ceremony was shifted to the State House due to heavy rains, a common occurrence in the desert nation. The ceremony was attended by leading African leaders, including President João Lourenço of Angola, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, who all congratulated the country on the milestone.

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Out-going President Nangolo Mbumba, 83, officially handed over power to Nandi-Ndaitwah, acknowledging the historical importance of her election. “Namibia is witnessing one of its top daughters breaking the glass ceiling,” Mbumba declared at the ceremony. “It has been a long time coming.”

As Nandi-Ndaitwah swore in, the audience erupted into raucous cheers and ululated in a worthy acknowledgment of the significance of the moment. Addressing the dignitaries and audience, she nodded to her historic achievement as she declared that her election did not lie solely on gender considerations but on merit and competence.

“I appear before you today not just as a woman, but as an elected leader on the strength of my experience and capability,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said at an inauguration ceremony. “While we are marking the progress Namibia has achieved since our independence, much has yet to be done.”

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s appointment to the presidency comes during a period of political calm and deep economic crisis for Namibia. She is a long-serving SWAPO member who was vice president for a year, and her party membership dates back many years. SWAPO led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, and Nandi-Ndaitwah has been one of the party’s top leaders for decades.

In the 2024 elections, she garnered 58 percent of the vote against her closest competitor, the IPC, which won 25.5 percent. The election was marred, however, by huge logistical mishaps and controversies, including a bid by the IPC to invalidate the results in court, which did not work. Despite the mishaps, the victory consolidated SWAPO’s ongoing grip on the politics of the nation.

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One of the largest issues the 2024 election had to contend with was the country’s unemployment rate, particularly among young people. In 2023, 44 percent of Namibians aged 18 to 34 were unemployed, a staggering figure for a country with just three million people. Nandi-Ndaitwah has made it a priority to address this issue during her time in power.

A day before her swearing-in, Nandi-Ndaitwah discussed her vision to create a minimum of 500,000 new jobs in five years, something that will have to be invested in at the expense of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion). “Job creation must be our priority,” she told South Africa’s SABC. “We must invest in such growth sectors as agriculture, fishery and creative and sporting industries to build a sustainable economy that will bring opportunity to everyone.”

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s focus on economic renewal and youth employment is seen as central to the nation’s future, with Namibia continuing to struggle with the pitfalls of a resource-based and mining-driven economy. Her administration will also need to address questions of poverty and social inequality, which persist despite the wealth of the nation.

In addition to economic pressure, Nandi-Ndaitwah also called for harmony at a national level following polarizing polls. Tensions were high amid electoral campaign processes and allegations of voting irregularity alongside an attempt by IPC to contest polls via the judicial path. Apart from this, however, Nandi-Ndaitwah made reconciliations as well as post-polls cohabitation even more necessary.

“We can disagree in the campaign, but then after, once the elections are behind us, we must stand as one Namibia and create a better future for all,” she said, requesting all Namibians to put aside their political divides and join hands for the good of the country.

Her call for unity is echoed by the majority of observers, who see her leadership as the opportunity to bridge the political chasms that widened in recent years. Although SWAPO’s grip on power persists, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s rule is seen as a turning point for a country that, having transitioned to democracy without recourse to bloodshed, still grapples with the ailments of an economy yet to diversify and with a persistently high unemployment rate afflicting large numbers of its youth.

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s swearing-in comes on Namibia’s 35th anniversary of independence, a moment to commemorate the country’s evolution since gaining freedom from apartheid South Africa. Her presidency marks a new chapter in Namibian history, one that can redefine the political and economic landscape for generations to come.

The country’s first female president, Nandi-Ndaitwah, is poised to motivate a new generation of Namibians, including women, to take a more active role in the political scene. Her rise to the pinnacle is a testament to the strides made in gender equality and political empowerment for Namibia, a beacon of hope for other African nations as they seek to open the gates for women to take leadership roles.

In the coming years, all eyes will be on Nandi-Ndaitwah as she navigates the complexities of leadership in a nation at the crossroads of development, economic reformation, and social cohesion. Her time in office will be closely monitored not only in Namibia but across Africa, where the election of women to the highest political office remains an infrequent achievement.

As Namibia begins this new era with its first female leader, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s words resonate: “We must continue to strive for progress, but we must also build a united and prosperous future for all Namibians.”

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