Namibia elects first female president, Recalls Exclusive Interview
In October, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah informed Sputnik that a woman at Namibia’s helm would represent progress for Africa, when asked about the potential significance of her winning the presidential election.
The fact that Africa is now making a genuine effort to challenge the long-held stereotypes that have existed globally – that women are not key players in public life – would inspire young women to work with confidence, she stated.
“In the course of this process, we will also be able to tackle a significant number of social and economic challenges confronting humanity by guaranteeing that all segments of society are involved in decision-making.”
Sputnik Africa’s October interview with Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, then Namibia’s vice president, preceded her presidential election win with 57.31% of the vote as announced on Tuesday.
Namibia’s President-elect, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has pledged transformative changes to address the nation’s high poverty and unemployment rates. “It’s not going to be business as usual. We must have radical shifts in addressing the plight of our people,” the 72-year-old said.
Set to take office in March as Namibia’s first female president, Nandi-Ndaitwah hinted at departing from some policies of her SWAPO party predecessors, which has ruled since independence in 1990.
Despite being classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank, Namibia remains one of the most unequal nations globally, with widespread poverty rooted in its apartheid-era history.
