Namibia – Land of the Brave
In Africa, women in politics are not new, but three of them simultaneously holding a country’s topmost offices? That’s a story no one’s ever told before.
Over the decades, African women have carved out space in political leadership, often through extraordinary resilience, and sometimes, against impossible odds. From Sylvie Kinigi serving as acting President of Burundi in 1993, to trailblazers like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, Joyce Banda in Malawi, and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim in Mauritius, the continent has seen powerful women step into the presidency. Even now, we have Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia, and Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of Tanzania, holding high office with competence and grace.
But never before has any African nation or any country in the world seen three women leading its executive and legislative branches at the same time. Until March 2025, when Namibia rewrote history.
That month, a quiet but powerful political evolution culminated in something radical: Namibia emerged as the only country on Earth where the President, Vice President, and Speaker of the National Assembly are all women — holding power concurrently.
This isn’t just another quiet cabinet reshuffle or symbolic appointment. It’s a tectonic shift. A clear break from centuries of patriarchal tradition, not just in Namibia, but across the African continent.
That moment may not have been announced with fireworks and fanfare outside of Namibia, but it will echo for generations to come.
The Women Rewriting History
At the forefront of this seismic shift is Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, sworn in as Namibia’s first female President on March 21, 2025. This isn’t her first time in uncharted territory. Netumbo has a history of being the first. She was Namibia’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, first female Deputy Prime Minister, and, most notably, in 2020, she became the country’s first female Vice President — a role she held until her election as President. Her political career spans over four decades, dating back to the liberation struggle. She’s not new to power, and certainly not new to breaking barriers.
Standing beside her as Vice President is Lucia Witbooi, appointed on March 22, 2025. A seasoned educator and former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia has always been passionate about public service. With her appointment, she becomes the second woman to ever occupy the Vice Presidential seat, following in the footsteps of Netumbo herself. A grassroots leader known for her empathy and firm stance on social welfare, Lucia’s presence on this team is not just symbolic; it’s strategic
And then there’s Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, elected as Speaker of the National Assembly on March 21, 2025. She’s no stranger to high office either. She was the country’s first female Prime Minister, serving from 2015 to 2025 before making history again as the first woman to lead Parliament. With a background in economics and public policy, Saara’s political journey has been built on grit and vision.
These three women represent different regions, different backgrounds, and different skill sets, but together, they form a leadership ecosystem that is both unprecedented and deeply significant.
How Did Namibia Get Here?
You may wonder, how did a relatively small Southern African nation pull off such a revolutionary moment? What made Namibia the unlikely trailblazer?
It didn’t happen overnight.
Namibia, since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, has maintained one of the most stable democratic systems in Africa. Unlike many of its neighbours, political transitions in Namibia have largely been peaceful. The ruling party, SWAPO, has also demonstrated a somewhat consistent commitment to gender inclusion. Over the years, the party adopted a zebra system (alternating men and women on candidate lists). This was more than lip service; it was a structural shift. Namibia also consistently ranks among the top African nations for female parliamentary representation.
Still, there’s a difference between having women in the room and having women lead the room.
Namibia’s achievement in 2025 is the result of years of institutional groundwork, individual excellence, and public readiness. These women were not plucked out of obscurity. They’ve been in the system, building credibility, weathering political storms, and waiting for a society that was finally ready to see them not just as women, but as leaders.
In a world where women are often required to be twice as qualified to be considered half as good, Namibia’s top three female leaders come with deep experience and extensive track records. They were not parachuted into power. They were forged in the fires of governance, activism, and civil service.
The Skeptics and the Scrutiny
For some, this development, will spark cynicism. They’ll dismiss it as tokenism, a carefully choreographed political stunt. They’ll speculate about hidden motives: Was this a strategy to soften political backlash? To impress international donors? To score political goodwill?
But nothing about the political journeys of Netumbo, Lucia, or Saara suggests they are tokens. These are career public servants. Policy makers. Diplomats.
These women must not only lead, they must lead exceptionally, in the full glare of public scrutiny. Not because they are less capable, but because they will be held to unfairly high standards, as is often the case for women in male-dominated fields.
They will be judged for their tone, their wardrobe, their perceived warmth, and their alliances. Every move will be dissected, often through a gendered lens. And if they fail or even falter, the risk is not just personal reputational damage. It could be weaponised against future women seeking leadership. That is the harsh reality.
This moment will mean nothing if it’s treated as mere symbolism. The real power lies in performance.
The legacy of this leadership trio must be measured not just in glowing headlines, but in policies, progress, and impact on people’s lives.
For this to be more than a fleeting moment, these women must be allowed to lead fully and freely, not as placeholders or PR figures, but as agents of national transformation.
Competence must be the primary measure, not gender.
And the beauty of this milestone is that it already passes that test, because these women are not just making history because they are women. They are making history because they earned their place.
Why This Matters Far Beyond Namibia
This isn’t just a Namibian win. It’s an African win. A global win.
Representation at this level sends ripples across borders. For the African girl watching from a rural classroom, this trio sends a simple, potent message: your dreams are valid even the big, audacious ones.
It whispers hope into the hearts of women battling glass ceilings in politics, business, academia, and activism. It tells the world that competence knows no gender.
For African governments that have long spoken about gender parity without delivering it, Namibia offers a blueprint. Not necessarily a copy-paste model, but a proof of possibility.
This isn’t to say women haven’t led in Africa before. As mentioned earlier, countries like Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Tanzania have all had female heads of state. But three women concurrently steering the top offices of a nation send a different kind of message. That gender equity in leadership doesn’t have to be rare. It can be normal.
If Namibia is going to be a true example for the continent, it won’t be just because it chose three women. It will be because those women led well. Because they were trusted for their competence. Because real progress followed the symbolism.
In 2025, Namibia did something African nations have danced around for years. The country has broken the jinx not just in politics, but in perception, in policy, and in possibility.
It broke a mindset. The deeply embedded cultural narrative that says women can’t lead. That they are too emotional, too soft, too distracted by family life, and too fragile for politics.
It broke systems. Systems that have historically sidelined half the population, confined them to supporting roles, or relegated them to “women’s issues” while men ran the real show.
Namibia has shown that the world doesn’t fall apart when women are in charge. If anything, it might just start healing.
May the rest of the continent follow, not out of trend, but out of genuine conviction that the future of African leadership must be inclusive, intelligent, and intentional.
And if the future is female, then Namibia just welcomed it with open arms without apology.
Stay frosty.
