Hetta-Maria AmutenjaÂ
Some Namibian embassies abroad have yet to display the official portrait of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, nearly two months after her inauguration.
The Namibian High Commission in London, for instance, has not yet hung the portrait.
Photos obtained by the Windhoek Observer show only the portrait of Founding President Sam Nujoma on display, with no image of the current or former president visible.
A source, who visited the mission recently, expressed surprise at the absence of the portrait of President Nandi-Ndaitwah.
“It was surprising to walk into the High Commission and see that only the portrait of President Nujoma is on the wall. There was no picture of the current president, and it just didn’t feel right. I expected the official portrait to be there by now,” the source said.
This follows a public announcement in March confirming the availability of the official portrait of President Nandi-Ndaitwah.
The Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) is the sole producer and distributor of the portrait, as confirmed by the government on 21 March.
An A2-sized framed version costs N$1 800, and an unframed version for schools is priced at N$500.
The announcement also stated that public institutions and state-owned enterprises are required to display the portrait of the sitting president at the top, with the founding president’s portrait below it.
The directive mentioned that NAMPA would run a national campaign to inform the public and institutions about the importance and placement of the portraits. It is unclear whether this campaign has reached Namibian missions abroad.
Questions about the display of presidential portraits have arisen before. In October 2024, it was revealed that several ministries and Namibian courts had not displayed the portrait of then-President Nangolo Mbumba.
At the time, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) explained that procurement challenges caused the delay and advised institutions to drape a ribbon over the portrait of former President Hage Geingob until new portraits were available.
The MICT also specified that portraits should be displayed with the Founding President to the left of the sitting President.
The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) was contacted for comment regarding the status of presidential portraits at other embassies and high commissions abroad, but no response was received by the time of publication.
