{"id":53519,"date":"2025-03-22T15:04:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T15:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/namibia-s-first-female-president-takes-office-as-rwanda-extends-congratulations\/"},"modified":"2025-03-22T15:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T15:04:11","slug":"namibia-s-first-female-president-takes-office-as-rwanda-extends-congratulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/namibia-s-first-female-president-takes-office-as-rwanda-extends-congratulations\/","title":{"rendered":"Namibia\u2019s first female President takes office as Rwanda extends congratulations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The event was attended by several high-profile figures, including Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who represented President Paul Kagame and presented a symbolic gift to President Nandi-Ndaitwah.<\/p>\n

The gift, featuring an image of traditional Rwandan drummers, represented Rwanda\u2019s rich cultural heritage and was a gesture of goodwill between the two nations.<\/p>\n

President Nandi-Ndaitwah\u2019s election victory in November saw her secure 58% of the vote as the candidate for the ruling SWAPO party, which has led Namibia since independence in 1990.<\/p>\n

She took over from outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba, 83, in a ceremony originally planned for the Independence Stadium but moved to State House in Windhoek due to heavy rains.<\/p>\n

Her swearing-in was a significant moment, making her the fourth woman to serve as head of state in Africa, following Liberia\u2019s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Malawi\u2019s Joyce Banda, and Tanzania\u2019s Samia Suluhu Hassan.<\/p>\n

These women attended her inauguration, showing solidarity and support. The occasion also followed another landmark event where Namibia\u2019s parliament elected its first female speaker, former Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, just a day prior.<\/p>\n

Minister Nduhungirehe praised President Nandi-Ndaitwah\u2019s long-standing dedication to Namibia\u2019s liberation and her advocacy for women\u2019s rights. He highlighted her activism, which began in her youth while living in Tanzania. \u201cHer election is a remarkable milestone and a historic moment for Namibia,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

President Nandi-Ndaitwah acknowledged the challenges of being the country\u2019s first female head of state and remarked, \u201cIf things go well, it will be a great example. But if anything does not go as planned, just as it happens in male-led governments, some will say, \u2018Look at women!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In her inaugural speech, she laid out her administration\u2019s priorities, emphasizing economic growth, job creation, and infrastructure development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will increase investment in the development of infrastructure to open investment opportunities, enhance economic productivity, promote economic growth, and improve the quality of life of our people,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n

She also committed to universal health coverage and ensuring Namibians benefit from their country\u2019s natural resources through value addition. Climate change remains a concern for Namibia, a drought-prone nation, and she vowed to intensify efforts to combat its effects.<\/p>\n

Beyond domestic issues, President Nandi-Ndaitwah reaffirmed her commitment to international solidarity. She voiced support for the right to self-determination for Palestinians and the people of Western Sahara.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she called for the lifting of sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, aligning Namibia\u2019s foreign policy with global calls for economic justice.<\/p>\n

A veteran politician, Nandi-Ndaitwah has been a member of SWAPO since her teenage years. She lived in exile in Zambia, Tanzania, the former Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom during Namibia\u2019s struggle for independence.<\/p>\n

Since 1990, she has held multiple government roles, including Minister of Environment and Tourism and Minister of Foreign Affairs, before becoming Vice President. Her leadership is marked by resilience and a strategic vision for Namibia\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Her husband, a retired general, now holds the official title of \u201cFirst Gentleman,\u201d highlighting the shifting dynamics in the country\u2019s leadership norms.<\/p>\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n
\"Minister<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Namibia marked a historic milestone as Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as the country\u2019s first female president. The 72-year-old leader took office in a ceremony that coincided with Namibia\u2019s 35th Independence anniversary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2000084070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000084070,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-472.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000084070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53519"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53519"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}