On Friday, Namibia officially swore in Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the country’s first female president, marking a historic moment for the Southern African nation. Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, took office amid a series of challenges including high unemployment, inequality, and poverty—issues that have plagued Namibia for decades.
The new president, who won the November election with 58% of the vote, now faces the daunting task of addressing these persistent problems while navigating the pressures that come with being only the second female president ever directly elected in Africa.
In an interview with BBC’s Africa Daily podcast, Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed her awareness of the weight of her new role, acknowledging that the outcome of her administration will be scrutinized more closely due to her gender. “If things go well, it will be seen as a good example,” she said. “But if anything happens, like it can happen in any administration under men, there are also those who would rather say: ‘Look at women!’”
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory in November came after a long political career in the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), the party that has governed Namibia since the country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. She joined Swapo as a teenager, at the age of 14, during the liberation movement’s resistance to the South African apartheid regime.
Despite the progress made by Swapo in improving the lives of Namibia’s black majority, the legacy of apartheid continues to shape the country’s social and economic landscape. One of the most significant challenges that Nandi-Ndaitwah will face is the persistent issue of land ownership, which remains disproportionately in the hands of white Namibians, a legacy of the country’s colonial past.
Land reform is a critical issue in Namibia, where the ownership of land remains highly unequal. While white Namibians make up just 1.8% of the population, they own approximately 70% of the country’s farmland. According to government statistics, there are 53,773 white Namibians in the country, based on the 2023 census.
In the run-up to her inauguration, Nandi-Ndaitwah addressed the issue, calling land ownership a “serious problem” in Namibia. She emphasized the need to address the ownership gap without resorting to forced expropriation. “We still have some white citizens and, more particularly, the absent landowners who are occupying the land,” she said. “I am committed to the willing-buyer, willing-seller principle, meaning no one is forced to sell up.”
Apart from land reform, one of the biggest challenges facing Namibia is its high levels of poverty and inequality. According to the World Bank, Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world, with a Gini coefficient of 59.1 in 2015. This inequality persists despite efforts to improve the living standards of the black majority, and it is expected that poverty will remain high, with the World Bank projecting it will stand at 17.2% in 2024.
The country’s unemployment rate also remains alarmingly high. In 2023, the unemployment rate increased to 36.9%, up from 33.4% in 2018, according to Namibia’s statistics agency. These figures point to a growing gap between the country’s economic potential and the number of citizens who benefit from it.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is keenly aware of these economic challenges and has outlined a vision for economic transformation. “The economy, which partly relies on mineral exports, should work more on adding value to what the country extracts from the ground rather than exporting raw materials,” she said. In particular, she has emphasized the importance of diversifying the economy by focusing on industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and creative sectors like tourism and entertainment.
Education will also play a crucial role in her strategy for economic transformation. Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed a desire to reform the education system to better align with the needs of the country’s evolving economy, especially in industries that can help create new job opportunities.
As she embarks on her term in office, Nandi-Ndaitwah is only the second African woman to be directly elected president, after Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Her leadership follows that of Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became president in 2021 after the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Despite these notable exceptions, women’s political representation remains limited across the continent.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has acknowledged that her presidency will be under intense scrutiny due to her gender, but she remains resolute in her belief that leadership is about merit rather than gender. “It is a good thing that we as countries are realizing that just as men can do, women can also hold the position of authority,” she said.
Her election represents an important step in breaking gender barriers in African politics, but it also comes at a time when Namibia, and much of Africa, faces significant challenges. Unemployment, inequality, and poverty continue to hinder progress, and the new president will need to build on the legacy of Swapo while also making bold reforms to address the nation’s most pressing issues.
For Namibians, there is hope that under Nandi-Ndaitwah’s leadership, the country can take significant strides toward economic growth and social equality. But as with any new administration, much will depend on the political will, strategic planning, and the ability to navigate the deeply entrenched issues that have held back the country for so long.
As the first female president of Namibia and one of the few women in Africa to hold such a high office, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s leadership will be closely watched not only in Namibia but across the continent. Her ability to address Namibia’s inequalities and economic challenges will set the stage for the next chapter in the nation’s history.
