Namibia’s interim president Nangolo Mbumba has announced that he will not contest the upcoming elections in November, clearing the path for the country’s first female presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Mbumba, who took over the reins of power on Sunday following the death of President Hage Geingob, said he had no ambition to stay in office beyond his constitutional mandate.
“I am not going to be around for the elections so don’t panic,” Mbumba said at his swearing-in ceremony. “I aimed to be a school principal, which I achieved and now I have to thank the Namibian people for the honor they have bestowed on me to be their president, for a short period.”
Mbumba’s decision means that Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was appointed as vice president and SWAPO’s presidential candidate last year, will remain the frontrunner in the race to succeed Geingob.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who also serves as the minister of international relations and cooperation, is a veteran politician and diplomat who has held various cabinet portfolios since Namibia’s independence from South Africa in 1990.
She is also the vice president of SWAPO, the ruling party that has dominated Namibian politics for three decades.
A legacy of leadership and green vision
Mbumba paid tribute to Geingob, who died at the age of 82 after a brief battle with cancer, as a visionary leader and the chief architect of the Namibian constitution.
“It is poignant and reassuring to note that today, even in this time of heavy loss, our nation remains calm and stable,” Mbumba said. “This is owing to the visionary leadership … of President Geingob who was the chief architect of the Namibian constitution.”
Geingob, who has been in power since 2015, leaves behind a legacy of steering Namibia towards a green and blue economy, harnessing the country’s abundant natural resources and renewable energy potential.
In 2022, Namibia became the first African country to agree to supply the European Union with green hydrogen and minerals needed for clean energy.
Last year, Namibia began constructing Africa’s first decarbonized iron plant, to be powered exclusively by green hydrogen, which is extracted from water using electrolysis powered by renewable energy.
These developments put Namibia ahead of its economically bigger and more industrialized neighbor South Africa, whose green energy transition efforts have been faltering.
A new era for Namibia and Africa
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is expected to continue Geingob’s green agenda, faces the challenge of reviving Namibia’s economy, which has been hit hard by the global pandemic and recurrent droughts.
She also has to address the social and racial inequalities that persist in the former colony, where the majority of the population lives in poverty while a minority of white settlers own most of the land and wealth.
If elected, Nandi-Ndaitwah will join a growing list of female leaders in Africa, such as Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde, Liberia’s former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Malawi’s former President Joyce Banda.
She will also be the first woman to lead Namibia, a country that has made significant strides in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Namibia ranks among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of women’s representation in parliament, with 47% of the seats held by women.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed her commitment to advancing the rights and interests of women and girls, as well as the youth, who make up more than half of Namibia’s population.
She has also pledged to uphold Namibia’s foreign policy of multilateralism and solidarity, which has earned the country respect and admiration in the international arena.
As Namibia prepares to enter a new era of leadership and hope, Nandi-Ndaitwah has the opportunity to make history and inspire a generation of women and men across Africa and beyond.
Source: Reuters
