Namibia Inaugurates Its First Woman President
After Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah won elections that extended the ruling party’s 35-year rule, Namibia’s desert nation swore in its first woman president on Friday.
In a ceremony attended by heads of state from various African nations, including those from Angola, South Africa, and Tanzania, Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, became one of the few women to lead an African nation.
She served as the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which helped the sparsely populated and uranium-rich nation achieve independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
In a ceremony that took place on the occasion of Namibia’s 35th anniversary, Nangolo Mbumba, 83, and was moved from the Independence Stadium to State House due to the rare, heavy rains that have fallen.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, more commonly known as NNN, took the oath of office, eliciting cheers and ulululations.
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Before delivering her remarks, she demanded that other African women leaders stand before her remarks, including former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Samia Suluhu Hassan, the only other woman in power in Tanzania, was also present.
Nandi-Ndaitwah argued that while her victory would encourage other women, the fact that she was chosen on merit merits did not.
We should not ask for positions of authority because we are women, but because we are capable members of our society, she said.
Pledge for growth,  
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who has been a SWAPO member since she was 14 years old, became the first woman to lead the liberation movement last year. She joined the national assembly in 1990 and has held a number of senior positions, including minister of various portfolios and deputy prime minister.
In the country’s tumultuous November elections, which were repeatedly postponed due to logistical issues, she won 58 percent of the vote.
Even though the popularity of other southern African liberation parties has decreased, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), a young opposition party, mounted a strong challenge that only garnered 25.5 percent of the vote for president.
In a nation of just three million people, 44 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds without employment in 2023 were a key issue at the ballot box.
In her first as president, Nandi-Ndaitwah said, “We will increase investment in the development of infrastructure to open investment opportunities, increase economic productivity, promote economic growth, and improve the quality of life of our people.”
Namibia is one of the top producers of uranium and has a large diamond industry, but there are very few rich people there.
According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, improvements to the agricultural sector and addressing the impact of strong rural-urban migration are other priorities. Additionally, she demanded that all health insurance plans be implemented.
She said, “We will continue to support the international effort to address global challenges that humanity faces today, such as climate change and environmental degradation,” citing the recent heavy rains as evidence of the “impact of climate change.”
‘Historic moment’,  
Nandi-Ndaitwah also endorsed the right of Palestinians and the Western Saharan people to self-determination in her speech, and she also demanded that Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe be free of international sanctions.
The new president has a strict stance against abortion, which is only permitted in exceptional circumstances in Namibia. The new president is the socially conservative daughter of an Anglican pastor. Gay marriage is prohibited as well.
Source: Channels TV
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