On Friday, Namibia welcomed its new president, who is set to navigate the challenges of high unemployment, inequality, and poverty that the nation currently faces.
She faces the challenge of her role as Africa’s second-ever directly elected female president and Namibia’s first female head of state.
“If things proceed positively, it will be regarded as a commendable example,” Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah stated during an interview on BBC’s Africa Daily podcast. “However, should any incidents arise, as can occur in any administration led by men, there are those who might prefer to point fingers and say: ‘Look at women!'”
The 72-year-old secured victory in November’s election, garnering 58% of the votes.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), which has maintained its grip on power since Namibia’s independence in 1990, following a protracted battle against apartheid South Africa.
At just 14, she became a member of Swapo, a liberation movement that opposed South Africa’s white-minority rule.
Despite the party’s efforts to implement changes and enhance the lives of the black majority, the enduring legacy of apartheid remains evident in the persistent disparities in wealth and land ownership.
“Indeed, land issues pose a significant challenge in this country,” she remarked to the BBC in the lead-up to the inauguration.
“A segment of the white population, particularly those landowners who are not present, continue to occupy the land.”
She emphasises her commitment to the “willing-buyer, willing-seller” principle, asserting that no one is compelled to sell their property.
Namibia, a vast nation in terms of geography, has a relatively small population of approximately three million residents.
According to government statistics, approximately 70% of the nation’s farmland is owned by white farmers. According to the 2023 census, 53,773 individuals in Namibia identified as white, accounting for 1.8% of the nation’s total population.
Namibia ranks among the most unequal nations globally, exhibiting a Gini coefficient of 59.1, as reported by the World Bank in 2015. Projections indicate that poverty levels are anticipated to persist at a high rate of 17.2% in 2024.
According to the country’s statistics agency, the unemployment rate increased to 36.9% in 2023, up from 33.4% in 2018.
Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that the economy, partially dependent on mineral exports, should focus on enhancing the value of the resources extracted from the ground instead of merely exporting raw materials.
She advocates for Namibia to emphasise creative industries more while urging the education sector to adapt to evolving economic realities.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is only the second African woman to achieve direct election as president, following in the footsteps of Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Currently, the only other female president on the continent is Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, who assumed the position following the death of her predecessor in office in 2021.
Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasises her desire to be evaluated based on her qualifications, highlighting the positive shift among nations that recognise women are equally capable of occupying positions of authority as men.
