Nandi-Ndaitwah praises Namibia’s progress in gender equality leadership

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says that women leading the highest offices in government and politics is testament to Namibia’s continued commitment to closing the gender gap in leadership positions.

She said this at the high-level meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women on Monday in New York, United States.

Namibia has Nandi-Ndaitwah as president, Lucia Witbooi as vice president, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila as National Assembly speaker, and Sophia Shaningwa as Swapo’s secretary general.

Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that Namibia has closed 81.1% of its gender gap, ranking eighth globally and first in Africa as per the 2025 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report.

“We have shown strong political will through adopting international commitments, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which we domesticated in our national gender policies. Our progress in the areas of political inclusion and legal reforms is grounded in this and underpins our deep commitment to achieve progress for the empowerment of women.

“It is encouraging to share that women hold 57% of Cabinet positions and 38.5% in the National Assembly, including key ministries like finance, health, education, international relations, and trade,” she said.

She further acknowledged that while the country has made progress, the leadership is conscious that much work still lies ahead.

Hence, there’s room for improvement in some areas.

“In our national context, this is mainly in the area of the economic inclusion of women, especially rural women who still remain on the margins of economic activity. Economic challenges persist, limiting access to credit, land, and markets, with 70% of informal traders being female, in particular young women,” she said.

According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, these issues are being addressed through Namibia’s National Gender Equality and Equity Policy 2025-2035, which promotes equal access to resources, capacity building, and programmes like women-owned micro-enterprises to support women through income generation.

“Agriculture, being an informal economic activity, is supported within its operations by the Agribank of Namibia to assist young people and women who want to venture into agriculture,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah also reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to accelerating the Beijing Declaration through tackling gender-based violence, harmful norms, partnerships, and gender-responsive budgeting as the country’s contribution to the full realisation of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, among others.

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