Minister Nnduhungirehe delivered a gift to the President of Namibia(Right) on behalf of her Rwandan counterpart
Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe represented President Paul Kagame at the celebration of Namibia’s 35th independence anniversary and the swearing-in of Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the fifth President of the Republic of Namibia.
Minister Nnduhungirehe delivered a special message and gift to the President of Namibia on behalf of her counterpart from Rwanda.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been sworn in as Namibia’s first woman president, after winning elections last year that extended the governing party’s 35-year grip on power.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, became one of the few women leaders on the African continent, following a ceremony on Friday coinciding with the country’s 35th Independence Day.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is the first female President of Namibia and the second serving female President on the continent, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, who was the guest of honour in the inauguration.
Indeed, Nandi-Ndaitwah, who started the liberation struggle at the age of 14, lived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, as Chief Representative of South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) Namibia Party for East Africa (1980-1986), and was called “Mama SWAPO” by late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also fought for women’s rights. In 1995, she was the Rapporteur General of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China, and later on became Minister of Women Affairs and Child Welfare from 2000-2005.
Her election is therefore an outstanding personal achievement and a historical day for Namibia.
The swearing-in of Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was attended by heads of state from several African countries including Angola, South Africa and Tanzania. (End)