Namibia - March 2025

Women’s political representation was strengthened in Namibia in March, when Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the country’s first woman president, appointed a gender-balanced cabinet and another woman, Lucia Witbooi, as her vice-president – also a first for the country. Nandi-Ndaitwah announced her cabinet on 22 March, a day after she was sworn in as president, revealing that eight of the 14 ministers (57.1 per cent) were women (up from 42.9 per cent in the previous government). According to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Namibia is only the third African country to achieve a gender-balanced cabinet and the first in which women hold the positions of both president and vice-president. Further, on 21 March, Namibia’s National Assembly elected its first woman speaker, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who had previously served as the country’s Prime Minister. 

Sources: The Namibian (1), British Broadcasting Corporation, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, The Namibian (2)