Namibia on Friday sworn in its first Female President after Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah won the Presidential election last year that extended the ruling party’s 35-year grip on power.
Following her swearing in at a ceremony attended by heads of state of neighboring countries including Angola and South Africa, Nandi-Ndaitwah will become one of the few women leaders in the Southern African region.
Popularly known by her initials NNN, Nandi-Ndaitwah secured 58 percent of the vote in the chaotic November elections, which were extended several times after logistical failures led to major delays.
The youthful opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) mounted a strong challenge but took only 25.5 percent of the vote, underscoring continued loyalty to SWAPO even as the popularity of other southern African liberation parties has waned.
A key issue at the polls was massive unemployment among the young population, with 44 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds without work in 2023 in a country of just three million people.
On the eve of her inauguration, NNN said tackling unemployment was a priority
“In the next five years we must produce at least 500,000 jobs,” she told South Africa’s national broadcaster SABC, adding it would require investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.67 billion, 4.3 billion euros).” she stated.
Credit: Peak News
