Namibia has entered a new chapter in its political history with the appointment of a groundbreaking all-women leadership at the highest levels of government. On Saturday, newly elected President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – Namibia’s first female Head of State – announced her inaugural Cabinet, naming Lucia Witbooi as Vice President and Ericah Shafudah as Minister of Finance. Just a day earlier, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was elected Speaker of the National Assembly, becoming the first woman to lead the country’s parliament. For the first time in Namibia – and in Africa – a nation is led by women across the top three offices of government: President, Vice President, and Speaker of Parliament.
In a bid to cut government spending, the President has reduced the number of ministries to 14. However, when including other key roles such as the Vice President, Attorney General, and Director of Planning, the full cabinet comprises 19 members. This has sparked criticism from opposition, local leaders and political commentators, who argue that the size of the cabinet remains excessive for Namibia’s economy.
Young people have also expressed frustration, accusing the new administration of neglecting youth representation and appointing an overly aged leadership team.
On 3 December 2024, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party won the presidential election, becoming Namibia’s first female president. Her rise to the presidency follows a long political career: in 2017, she became the first woman elected as SWAPO’s vice-president. In March 2023, then-President Hage Geingob endorsed her as SWAPO’s presidential candidate for the 2024 general election.
However, Namibia’s political landscape shifted dramatically following the death of President Geingob on 4 February 2024, while undergoing cancer treatment. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Nangolo Mbumba, who declared he would not seek the presidency. Following Geingob’s death, Nandi-Ndaitwah was appointed Vice President, replacing Mbumba, and later elected as Head of State. Before assuming top leadership, she served as Deputy Prime Minister (2015–2024), Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (2012–2015), and Minister of Environment and Tourism (2010–2012). She is also a long-standing member of the National Assembly.
Despite her historic election, Nandi-Ndaitwah takes office at a time when SWAPO’s dominance is waning. The party retained a slim majority in the National Assembly with just 51 seats—its weakest showing since independence in 1990.
The size of Namibia’s cabinet has sparked comparisons in Malawi, where citizens have criticised President Lazarus Chakwera for presiding over a gratuitously large cabinet. By comparison, Malawi—despite having a GDP slightly lower than Namibia’s—maintains a 33-member cabinet when including the Attorney General and the Secretary to the President and Cabinet. Yet Namibia’s GDP per capita stands at approximately $4,000, nearly seven times higher than Malawi’s, which continues to grapple with hyperinflation.
