BAB 10: 🥇Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s Road From The Trenches To State House
Nandi-Ndaitwah is history in motion. From the pre-independence liberation trenches of Namibia to the presidency, she has made power moves with grace and grit. Read more here.
🌍✨Happy Monday BAB Readers, We’re Showing Up!
Welcome to the 10th edition of Bold Africa Brief! Can you believe we’re already ten editions in? Thank you! This is a newsletter where we highlight personalities who are making bold moves within the continent.
If you are interested in learning about this giant Africa of ours and people who are driving change within it, click here, or here.
For this week’s newsletter, we’re spotlighting Namibia’s freshly sworn in and first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. A woman who has long dedicated her life to change and people.
🏛️🌟 Let’s Begin With a Story…
Here’s what happened… While the rest of us were busy surviving adolescence and the teenage confusion, Netumbo was already fighting for national causes at age 14. She joined the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) liberation movement, and her dangerous role involved smuggling forbidden ideas right under the noses of the oppressive regime and she was constantly on the run evading colonial police. Constantly hunted, she fled into years of exile. In those years, she studied, she advocated, she molded herself into a powerhouse.
And now? That fugitive is now Madam President. Namibia’s first female head of state.
“...You will not reach your destination when you don't know where you are going, you must have fixed thoughts for you to reach your goals...”
😎 What Is She About?
Exile was an opportunity to build for Netumbo. She didn’t just disappear. She took that time to grow. She studied political science in Zambia, then went on to earn two postgraduate diplomas in Public Administration & Management and another in International Relations and Diplomacy from the United Kingdom.
While this was all going on, Netumbo was building a family. In 1983, She married Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah who served as the Chief of Namibia’s Defence Force and is now a retired Lieutenant General. Together, the power couple raised three sons. In 1989, as the country edged closer to independence, Netumbo made her way back home after years in exile. And when the big moment came on March 21, 1990 (Independence Day), SWAPO took the reins of power, and Netumbo stepped right into action as a member of the very first National Assembly. From that point on, she never really stepped away.
The offices are variables but Netumbo is the constant. She kicked things off as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, then went on to lead key ministries like Women’s Affairs and Child Welfare, Information and Broadcasting, Environment and Tourism, and eventually Foreign Affairs. From 2012 to 2024, she was Namibia’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, basically the country’s top diplomat. 🌟
The list could go on but let’s wrap this up!
“I am an implementer, not a storyteller”
🦄 What Her Presidency Really Means
The office of president for Netumbo is not just another milestone, another first, no. She has made it clear that she's here to work. Having been at the forefront of the nation’s politics for so long, the office of the president is an opportunity to carry out changes and she's not joking.
Barely two months in office, President Netumbo has already made some really bold moves. First, she revoked visa free access to countries that do not offer visa free entry to Namibians. She said tit for tat. And secondly, In 2026, Netumbo’s administration will also begin offering free tertiary education in government schools all around Namibia.
It’s most definitely not storytelling with Madam President, it's about work.
For the people however, this is hope. A majority of Namibia’s citizens are proud of their choice at the polls so far and it is safe to say that great things are expected of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
💪🏽 Netumbo’s Bold Moves
2025: she contested and won the presidential election with 57% majority becoming Namibia’s first female President.
2025: she revoked Visa free entry to countries that do not offer visa free entry to Namibians.
2020–2025: Served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations.
2012–2020: As Minister of Foreign Affairs, she strengthened Namibia’s global relations while championing peace in the region.
2005–2010: Served as Minister of Environment and Tourism.
👋 Final Thoughts
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been playing the long game her whole life.
So if you’re feeling like your path is too slow, too quiet, or too different, take a page from Netumbo’s story. The world doesn’t always need noise. Sometimes, it needs a calm, unwavering voice that simply says, “let’s keep going”.
Thank you for reading Bold Africa Brief!
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