On Friday, March 21, 2025, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as Namibia’s first female president, marking a historic milestone for the southern African nation. The 72-year-old veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which has governed since independence in 1990, took the oath of office at the State House in Windhoek during a ceremony scaled down due to heavy rains. The event coincided with Namibia’s 35th independence anniversary and was attended by leaders like Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, affectionately known as “NNN,” secured 58% of the vote in the November 2024 election, defeating Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), who garnered 25.5%. Her victory followed a contentious election marred by logistical issues, though SWAPO retained its parliamentary majority with 51 of 96 seats. Outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba handed over power, praising her as a trailblazer breaking the glass ceiling.

In her inaugural address, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasized competence over gender, pledging to tackle unemployment—aiming for 500,000 jobs in five years—and diversify the economy through agriculture, fishing, and creative industries. A freedom fighter who joined SWAPO at 14, she brings decades of experience, having served as vice president, foreign minister, and advocate for women’s rights, notably pushing the 2002 Domestic Violence Act. As Africa’s second directly elected female president, she joins an elite group, vowing to unite a nation divided by recent political tensions.