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On Friday, March 21, 2025, Namibia, a desert nation in Southern Africa, officially welcomed its first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, following her victory in last year’s elections, which solidified the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) party’s 35-year dominance. The swearing-in ceremony, held in Windhoek and attended by regional leaders from Angola, South Africa, and beyond, marked a historic milestone for the uranium-rich country of three million.
At 72, Nandi-Ndaitwah—widely recognized by her initials, NNN—assumes the presidency as one of the few women leading a nation in the region. A seasoned SWAPO veteran, she previously served as vice president and has been a cornerstone of the party that guided Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Her inauguration coincided with the nation’s 35th Independence Day, adding symbolic weight to the occasion.
Nandi-Ndaitwah clinched 58 percent of the vote in the November 2024 elections, a contest marred by logistical hiccups that prompted multiple extensions to polling. Despite a formidable push from the youth-driven Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), which captured 25.5 percent, SWAPO’s enduring support base held firm—a contrast to the fading fortunes of other liberation-era parties across southern Africa.
The election spotlighted pressing challenges, notably the staggering 44 percent unemployment rate among Namibia’s 18- to 34-year-olds in 2023. Addressing journalists on the eve of her inauguration, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasized that curbing this youth joblessness ranks high on her agenda, signaling an intent to confront one of the nation’s most urgent economic hurdles head-on.
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“In the next five years we must produce at least 500,000 jobs,” she told South Africa’s national broadcaster SABC, adding it would require investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion, 4.3 billion euros).
Key sectors for job creation are agriculture, fishing and the creative and sports industries, she said.
She appealed for unity after political divisions surfaced during the elections, which the IPC sought to annul in a failed court action.
“We can make our politics during the campaign and so on but once it’s over, we must build Namibia together,” she said.
Following her election as Namibia’s inaugural female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, popularly known as NNN, shared her perspective with SABC, stating that her victory marked a significant milestone in dismantling longstanding barriers for women in leadership. She highlighted the importance of shattering both ceilings and walls through her ascent to the presidency.
NNN, now 72, brings a conservative outlook shaped by her upbringing as the daughter of an Anglican pastor. She has maintained a firm opposition to abortion, which remains illegal in Namibia except under specific conditions, and presides over a country where gay marriage is also prohibited. Her ideological roots run deep within the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), a party she joined in her early teens. During Namibia’s liberation struggle, she spent time in exile in Moscow, an experience that shaped her political journey.
Later, as foreign minister from 2012 to 2024, Nandi-Ndaitwah frequently spoke of Namibia’s enduring and positive historical ties with North Korea, reflecting a diplomatic stance that has drawn attention during her tenure. Her presidency, sworn in on Friday, March 21, 2025, thus blends a traditionalist domestic approach with a distinctive foreign policy legacy.
