History is made today Friday 21st March 2025 as Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as the first female President of Namibia, a country which became independent 35 years ago. The mineral-rich country on the south of Africa has remained largely stable ever since. Its population is around three million people.
TOP FACTS ABOUT NEW PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, NETUMBO TRIPLE-N’ NANDI-NDAITWAH
President of Namibia
Born in October 1952, Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in at the age of 72 for a five-year term. She took over from 83-year-old Nangolo Mbumba, who came to power in February 2024 following the death of his predecessor, Hage Geingob at the age of 82.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, aged 14, became a member of South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), the party which has been in governance of Namibia since 1990 when it gained independence from South Africa. The party stands as the leader of the struggle for the independence of Namibia. This helped Triple-N to emerge as the first woman to become President of the country.
Nandi-Ndaitwah entered the National Assembly in 1990 and was first appointed as cabinet minister in 2000 to head the women’s and children ministry. She has also served as minister of information, environment and tourism, and of foreign affairs, as well as deputy prime minister.
In February 2024, she was appointed vice president, the first woman to hold that post in the country.
NNN, as she is popularly known, is a long-time loyalist of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) that has governed Namibia since its independence from South Africa in 1990. SWAPO’s dominance meant that there was little surprise that she won the November 2024 polls, where she took 58 per cent of votes as the party’s candidate.
She will lead a largely young country with more than 70 per cent of the population aged under 34, according to the 2023 census.