On 21 March 2025 Mrs Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became the fifth president and head of the Namibian state, making history as the first woman not only in Namibia but in the whole southern Africa to be elected to lead a country.
Below is her speech as she assumed the reins of power and authority.
Today, we gather here as Namibians, joined by the international community to witness the change of administration from one Head of State to another.
Changing of administration has become an entrenched political and historical phenomenon in the Namibian culture and tradition, since independence in 1990.
I therefore, stand before you today with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility towards the people of Namibia who placed their trust in me by electing me, as the fifth President of the Republic of Namibia to lead this great nation for the next five years.
My ascendance to the highest office in the land is the culmination of years of struggle by generations of Namibians, men and women, for the political, social and economic liberation of our people. I would like to pay homage to all of them, those who have passed on and the living.
Today’s event is taking place 20 days after we laid to rest H.E Cde. Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, Namibia’s Founding President, Father of the Namibian Nation and Leader of our Revolution (May His Revolutionary Spirit Rest in Perfect 4 Peace), he is one of those we are paying homage too today.
Let me also take this opportunity to acknowledge the crucial role that the international community has played in our struggle for national independence. Your solidarity, material and moral support has carried us to the logical conclusion of our struggle, namely the independence of our country.
It is gratifying to see that so many representatives of friendly countries, organizations and individual friends of Namibia have come to celebrate with us the 35th anniversary of our independence and witness my inauguration. Your presence here today is highly appreciated, it is a source of inspiration and a moral boaster to me and Namibians at large.
My inauguration today is taking place against the back drop of a solid foundation that was laid by my predecessors. Our Founding President, Dr. Sam Nujoma, who led the liberation struggle and laid a solid foundation for peace, political stability, democracy, social and economic development.
In his acceptance speech, as first President of an independent Namibia, in 1990, President Nujoma had this to say “I move in the name of our people to declare that Namibia is forever free, sovereign and independent”.
Successive Presidents, Dr. Hifikepunye Pohamba, Dr. Hage G Geingob and Dr. Nangolo Mbumba built on that foundation and each and every one of them made a distinctive contribution to nation building, among others strengthening institutional capacity, consolidating national unity, social and economic development.
Accordingly, in assuming the Presidency on the 21st March 2005, President Dr. Hifikepunye Pohamba had this to say “A new dawn has set on our beautiful country. From this day onwards, our country will continue to move towards the future, as a united democratic and prosperous nation”.
While President Dr. Hage G Geingob in celebrating the 30th anniversary of our independence said “It was on this day that we witnessed the hoisting of the Namibian flag, symbolizing the birth of a sovereign nation, celebrating the gift of freedom and opportunity to pursue our common aspirations”.
And in addressing our 34th independence anniversary, President Dr. Nangolo Mbumba reminded us that, “true independence is fundamental to the success and credibility of any nation. It is only through independence that people can obtain their dignity and full humanity”.
With those profound statements of our leaders, the progress that we have made as a nation was a result of collective efforts. Individual members of our society responded to the call and each arm of the state, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary made significant contributions to the political, social and economic development of our country.
Similarly, the private sector, churches, traditional authorities and other non-state actors have been also important constituencies in nation-building efforts. I therefore pledge to continue to work with all these institutions to make a success of our country.
The task facing me as, the fifth President of the Republic of Namibia, is to preserve the gains of our independence on all fronts and to ensure that the unfinished agenda of economic and social advancement of our people is carried forward with vigor and determination to bring about shared balanced prosperity for all.
The mandate that the electorate gave the SWAPO Party under my leadership is clearly articulated in the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto 2025-2030, the SWAPO Party Political Program and the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia. Those will be my guiding instruments throughout my presidency, as I serve all people of Namibia regardless of their political affiliation.
I have been an advocate for equality between men and women. I believe that it is not good for society to underplay the role that one segment of the population can play in the social, political and economic fabric of society.
The SWAPO Party Congress of 2002 took a bold decision to amend the Party’s Constitution to provide for 50/50 representation in leadership in all Party structures. The SWAPO Party led government also followed this policy in the running of the government.
The result has been encouraging, as many women including myself have been occupying strategic positions in government. We may all know that equality between women and men and the empowerment of women is work in progress all over the world.
However, in Namibia, we have made good progress, but still, a lot remain to be done. I believe that having being elected as President of my country, will encourage women from all walks of life to stand up to be counted, with a clear understanding that, I was not elected because I am a woman, but on merit.
That is to say as women, we should not ask to be elected to positions of responsibility because we are women, but because we are capable members of our societies to hold those positions.
The development of any country depends on the quality of its human resources. To this end, education and training will continue to be a priority to ensure that we develop technical and managerial skills and work ethics that are required in the labour market, to efficiently and effectively manage the economy and create the necessary jobs.
We will therefore, promote continuous improvement of our education system from pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary as well as vocational levels. In addition, access to quality health care is a right that all Namibian people should enjoy, irrespective of their economic and social status. We will ensure the implementation of the Comprehensive Universal Health Coverage to serve all Namibians in all parts of our country.
We will increase investments in the development of infrastructure to open up investment opportunities, enhance economic productivity, promote economic growth and improve the quality of life for our people.
Our country has witnessed unprecedented process of urbanization over the last 35 years that put tremendous pressure on urban infrastructures, sanitation and housing. We will therefore, upscale investment in urban land development and delivery to facilitate access to decent housing by the majority of our people.
The investments in the urban areas will be accompanied by investments in rural development and agriculture to address the rural-urban migration. A green revolution is indeed feasible in our country based on available land and water resources.
We are going to increase investment in the agricultural sector to increase output to meet domestic food requirements. Agriculture can also produce raw materials that can serve, as input to the manufacturing sector a necessity for industrialization and job creation.
We pledged to the people of Namibia to diversify our economy for our people to derive maximum benefits from our country’s natural resources, through value addition. The diversification of our economy will generate additional revenue to finance development and to enhance and expand social safety nets. It will also create jobs to take care of the unemployed, of which majority are the youth.
Opportunities will be created for the effective participation of the youth in the various sectors of our economy through targeted financing, training, mentorship and internship programs. As part of the youth empowerment program, the government will promote the various sports codes and investment in appropriate infrastructures to enable our sports men and women to compete effectively on the international arena.
Attention will also be given to the creative industry to make space for our people to bring out their talents.
The attainment of sustainable socio-economic development can only be realized through an accountable administration.
Therefore, we will promote good governance with predictable rule-based system that instills confidence in our institutions. Public servants are required to maintain, at all times, high ethical standards. They should provide the best possible service timeously without favoritism.
Corruption in all its manifestations should be avoided at all cost.
We commit ourselves to deepen regional integration through Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a building block for Africa continental integration through the African Union (AU), with particular reference to the African Continental Free Trade Area.
We continue to contribute to the international efforts to address global challenges facing humanity today such as environmental degradation and climate change. We believe in the peaceful resolutions of conflicts and continue to support the rights of the people of Palestine and Western Sahara to self-determination.
We will continue to demand for the lifting of sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. As a member of the AU Committee of Ten, Namibia will continue to demand for the reform of the UN Security Council for Africa to be represented in the permanent category.
As I conclude, I am optimistic that as a nation, we can make a success of our country, we must work together, as a united people with One Heart and One Mind. As our Founding President taught us, “a people united striving to achieve a common good for all members of society will always emerge victorious.”
We all need to put our hands on the plough. There is a role for everyone. I implore every citizen, regardless of your background or political affiliation to join me on this journey of nation-building.
Let us move in unison under the banner of One Namibia, One Nation to build a prosperous future for ourselves, our children and generations to come. I am committed, I am determined and I believe that together with all Namibians we can make Namibia the best place for one to live in.
Long Live the Republic of Namibia.
