Last week, the country made history by becoming the only African nation with a female President and Vice President. The government also had 14 ministers sworn in on Friday, eight of which are women.
On Friday, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as Namibia’s new President, becoming the country’s fifth. Following her presentation, the country’s first female head of state pledged to boost investment in the agricultural sector and diversify the resource-focused economy in an attempt to address high unemployment rates.
“Our government is tasked to enhance food security in the country, improve the health of our people, deliver affordable housing, quality education and create job opportunities for thousands of unemployed Namibians,” she said after her inauguration.
“Equally, we have to implement targeted interventions in the priority sectors of agriculture, mining, tourism, sports, and creative industries, among others to accelerate the socio-economic development of our country.”
Lucia Witbooi was also sworn in as Vice President and Ericah Shafudah as Finance Minister.
Loading...
Dr Esperance Luvindao, FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 Class of 2022 listee, was also sworn in as a member of parliament and appointed as the Minister of Health and Social Services in Namibia.
Luvindao is one of eight newly-elected ministers who are women and, according to the medical doctor, it brings a great amount of hope that “a new dispensation has arrived”.
“I don’t think ‘excited’ is quite the word to describe it,” she tells FORBES AFRICA.
“I hope that this becomes the new norm; that headlines like these no longer shock us or feel out of the ordinary, but rather reflect the reality we’ve come to expect. I hope that it becomes standard for a head of state to be a woman, and for cabinets to be predominantly made up of women—appointed on merit, of course.
“We do not believe in assigning positions based solely on gender. But the truth is, some women are skilled, talented, knowledgeable, and experts in their fields. It’s simply time we begin appointing them to their rightful positions to move our countries forward.”
In her first statement as president, Nandi-Ndaitwah said that the day “marks the beginning of the first steps in an important but long five-year journey that we must walk together as a team.”
Other female ministers in the country’s new government include Lucia Iipumbu (Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security), Selma Ashipala-Musavyi (Minister of International Relations and Trade), the Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture is now Sanet Steenkamp, with the Environment and Tourism Minister being Indileni Daniel.
The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare is Emma Kantema and the newly appointed speaker of the National Assembly is Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
Emma Theofelus continues her role as Minister of Information and Communication Technology, a ministry which she was appointed to in 2020, when she was just 23 years old.
“As elected leaders,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said on Friday, “we have an immense responsibility to ensure that we consolidate democracy, peace, stability and good governance in the country, as well as to expedite the delivery of quality public services to all Namibians.”
Loading...