Nandi-Ndaitwah has been a dedicated member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), the party that has governed Namibia since it gained independence in 1990 after years of fighting against apartheid rule by South Africa.
She joined Swapo at just 14 years old when it was still a liberation movement fighting against white-minority rule.
Although the party has introduced reforms and improved the lives of many black Namibians, the effects of apartheid are still visible, especially in wealth distribution and land ownership.
“Truly, land is a serious problem in this country,” she told the BBC ahead of the inauguration.
“We still have some white citizens and more particularly the absent land owners who are occupying the land.”
From freedom fighter to Namibia’s first female president
Nandi-Ndaitwah says she fully supports the “willing-buyer, willing-seller” approach, meaning no one will be forced to sell their land.
Namibia is a large country with a small population of three million people. Government data shows that about 70% of the country’s farmland is owned by white farmers. The 2023 census recorded 53,773 white Namibians, making up just 1.8% of the total population.
Namibia is one of the most unequal countries in the world. According to the World Bank, its Gini coefficient was 59.1 in 2015, and poverty is expected to remain high at 17.2% in 2024. The country’s unemployment rate also increased from 33.4% in 2018 to 36.9% in 2023.
Nandi-Ndaitwah believes Namibia should focus on processing its minerals instead of exporting raw materials. She also wants the country to invest more in creative industries and adjust its education system to match current economic needs.
She is the second African woman to be directly elected as president, following Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The only other female president in Africa today is Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the former president passed away.
Nandi-Ndaitwah wants to be judged on her merits, but she said that it was a “good thing that we as countries are realising that just as men [can do], women can also hold the position of authority”.