Namibia's first woman president hopes to inspire women to 'stand up': Video
Namibia has sworn in its first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in a historic moment for the Southern African nation.
In her inaugural address, Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed hope that her election would encourage other women across the continent "to stand up and to be counted."
"I was not elected because I am a woman, but on merit," she declared in her speech in the capital, Windhoek, as she took office in a ceremony attended by several African heads of state, including leaders from Angola, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The 72-year-old veteran politician succeeds outgoing president Nangolo Mbumba, 83, extending the rule of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which has governed Namibia since gaining independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who previously served as vice president, has been a key figure in Namibia’s politics and a long-time member of SWAPO.
Her inauguration, coinciding with Namibia’s 35th Independence Day celebrations, had to be moved from the Independence Stadium to the State House due to rare heavy rains, the AFP reports. The ceremony was marked by applause and ululations as Nandi-Ndaitwah, popularly known as "NNN," took the oath of office.
In a powerful moment before her speech, she called on past and present women leaders in the audience to stand, including Liberia’s Nobel Peace laureate and former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan—the only other woman currently leading an African nation.
Namibia, a country rich in uranium and diamonds, is one of the world’s leading producers of these valuable resources.
