President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf are encouraging African women leaders to work together to achieve the continent’s developmental agenda.
The two led a discussion on women in leadership in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, on Friday.
The discussion was around women in exchange on leadership, resilience, and the realities of governing in spaces traditionally dominated by men.
The discussions took place on the margins of the African Union Summit which is currently underway.
Namibia, through its mission in Addis Ababa, co-convened a high-level ‘Presidential Fireside Conversation’ under the theme ‘Beyond Barriers: Women Leaders Reshaping African Governance’.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the progress made in advancing women’s leadership was not achieved by women alone.
She acknowledged the role of forward-thinking men leaders who challenged outdated traditions and supported the idea that women have a greater role to play beyond traditional expectations.
The conversation further emphasised the importance of women supporting one another and building strong networks of mentorship, noting that progress is sustained when women open doors for the next generation.
Touching on the African Union’s 2026 theme, ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063’, Nandi-Ndaitwah warned
about the effect of climate change on the continent’s development agenda.
“Climate change is placing increasing pressure on land and water resources,” she said.
In many arid regions, grazing land is shrinking due to drought, while access to water is intensifying competition among communities, she said.
The president cautioned that, if not managed responsibly, these pressures could fuel instability and conflict, and called for stronger continental cooperation in managing shared resources.
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