President Nandi-Ndaitwah asked everyone in Namibia to believe in her Cabinet team. She explained that picking ministers felt hard because many good people wanted these jobs. She told everyone about her 14 ministers at State House last Saturday, just one day after she became the fifth president of Namibia. Instead of keeping old ministers, she brought in mostly fresh faces who would work for the next five years.
She cut down the number of ministers from 21 to 14. She also reduced deputy ministers from 17 to only seven people. Lucia Witbooi became her vice president, Elijah Ngurare stepped in as prime minister, and she picked Natangwe Ithete as deputy prime minister. She named experienced diplomat Selma Ashipala-Musavyi to handle international relations and trade affairs.
Ashipala-Musavyi previously worked as the head of international relations and served as Namibia's ambassador to Ghana. Jenelly Matundu stayed on as her deputy. The deputy prime minister, Ithete, will also run the new combined Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy with help from deputy Gaudentia Kröhne. Former money boss Erica Shafudah moved up to minister of finance and social grants management.
Frans Kapofi kept his job running defense and veterans affairs, with Charles Mubita helping as deputy. Doctor Esperance Luvindao took charge of health and social services. Sanet Steenkamp jumped from running education as a manager to the full minister of the bigger Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts, and Culture department, with Dino Ballotti as her helper.
Indileni Daniel leads Environment and Tourism. Emma Theofelus keeps her job managing information and communication technology. Veikko Nekundi moves up from deputy to full minister of works and transport. Emma Kantema switches from youth minister to head gender equality and child welfare, with Linda Baloyi helping as deputy.
James Sankwasa runs Urban and Rural Development with Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele as his deputy. Wise Emmanuel became the new boss of justice and labor relations. Former trade minister Lucia Iipumbu switched to lead home affairs, immigration, safety, and security. Mac-Albert Hengari takes over agriculture, fisheries, water, and land reform with Ruth Masake as his deputy.
The president admitted that making these choices felt tough since Namibia has many dedicated, qualified people ready to work hard. She promised that this team would deliver what citizens want. She asked everyone to help by giving her team a chance to do their jobs. She said what matters most is not who fills these jobs but what services they deliver to the public.
She combined several ministries to stop doing the same work twice, save government money, and ensure the running of government programs better. This approach should help the government work more smoothly. She wants people to judge her team based on results rather than the names or faces of those she picked for these important positions.
She cut down the number of ministers from 21 to 14. She also reduced deputy ministers from 17 to only seven people. Lucia Witbooi became her vice president, Elijah Ngurare stepped in as prime minister, and she picked Natangwe Ithete as deputy prime minister. She named experienced diplomat Selma Ashipala-Musavyi to handle international relations and trade affairs.
Ashipala-Musavyi previously worked as the head of international relations and served as Namibia's ambassador to Ghana. Jenelly Matundu stayed on as her deputy. The deputy prime minister, Ithete, will also run the new combined Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy with help from deputy Gaudentia Kröhne. Former money boss Erica Shafudah moved up to minister of finance and social grants management.
Frans Kapofi kept his job running defense and veterans affairs, with Charles Mubita helping as deputy. Doctor Esperance Luvindao took charge of health and social services. Sanet Steenkamp jumped from running education as a manager to the full minister of the bigger Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts, and Culture department, with Dino Ballotti as her helper.
Indileni Daniel leads Environment and Tourism. Emma Theofelus keeps her job managing information and communication technology. Veikko Nekundi moves up from deputy to full minister of works and transport. Emma Kantema switches from youth minister to head gender equality and child welfare, with Linda Baloyi helping as deputy.
James Sankwasa runs Urban and Rural Development with Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele as his deputy. Wise Emmanuel became the new boss of justice and labor relations. Former trade minister Lucia Iipumbu switched to lead home affairs, immigration, safety, and security. Mac-Albert Hengari takes over agriculture, fisheries, water, and land reform with Ruth Masake as his deputy.
The president admitted that making these choices felt tough since Namibia has many dedicated, qualified people ready to work hard. She promised that this team would deliver what citizens want. She asked everyone to help by giving her team a chance to do their jobs. She said what matters most is not who fills these jobs but what services they deliver to the public.
She combined several ministries to stop doing the same work twice, save government money, and ensure the running of government programs better. This approach should help the government work more smoothly. She wants people to judge her team based on results rather than the names or faces of those she picked for these important positions.
