PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar)
Introduction
When President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah arrived in New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), she did more than fulfil a diplomatic duty. She signalled that Namibia, under her leadership, is stepping boldly onto the global stage not as a spectator, but as a shaper of international discourse. From New York’s high corridors of power to Philadelphia’s civic halls, the Namibian president carried a clear message: the nation is open for business, serious about reform, and ready to lead with principle.
A woman at the helm, a nation in transition
Since assuming the presidency on 21 March 2025, President Nandi-Ndaitwah has been both a historic first and a vessel of great expectations – the first woman to lead Namibia, embodying hopes for gender inclusion, economic renewal, and African solidarity.
In her debut address to the UNGA on 24 September, she went beyond familiar pledges of development. She framed Namibia’s challenges within global debates on climate justice, governance reform, and youth empowerment.
Her call for Africa’s permanent representation on the UN Security Council was not a symbolic gesture. It was a demand rooted in historical injustice and present urgency. In an era of climate crises, economic turbulence, and shifting geopolitics, she argued, Africa can no longer be relegated to the margins of global governance.
Building bridges beyond rhetoric
Diplomacy is measured not only in speeches but also in the relationships cultivated behind closed doors. On the sidelines of UNGA80, President Nandi-Ndaitwah met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several world leaders, pressing for investment in Namibia’s green energy potential, sustainable industries, and infrastructure.
She underscored Namibia’s readiness through initiatives like Experience Namibia in New York, an event blending cultural soft power with economic diplomacy. Her bilateral meeting with Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima further reinforced her commitment to African solidarity, focusing on trade and resource development. The balance was clear: speak globally, negotiate regionally.
Diplomacy with a local touch
If New York was about global symbolism, Philadelphia was about practical outreach. On 25 September, President Nandi-Ndaitwah was welcomed by Mayor Cherelle Parker and honoured with a Council Citation from the City Council, an accolade rarely bestowed upon visiting African leaders.
In America’s first capital, she engaged with business leaders, academics, and diaspora communities, extending Namibia’s hand to U.S. institutions beyond Washington’s corridors of power. The symbolism was unmistakable: Namibia is not content to wait for deals in Geneva or New York; it is actively seeking partnerships in cities, universities, and industries where innovation and capital thrive. This dual-track diplomacy pairing multilateral engagement with grassroots outreach signals a leader thinking beyond traditional statecraft. It reflects the strategy of nations that recognise power is not centralised in a few capitals but dispersed across networks of cities, think tanks, and institutions.
Namibia’s bid to host the African regional hub of the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Speaking during her maiden address to the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Nandi Ndaitwah announced the country’s bid to host the African regional hub of the Green Climate Fund. She said the hub would act as a platform to channel climate finance, strengthen resilience, and support African countries in addressing global warming.
“In this regard, I am glad to announce Namibia’s bid to host the African Regional Hub of the Green Climate Fund. Furthermore, severe droughts, floods, and other calamities brought about by climate change cannot be overemphasised,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She added that the bid aligns with Namibia’s broader energy and climate agenda. “On energy, Namibia is diversifying her energy mix, using all our natural resources. In addition, Namibia presented her Energy Compact at the Africa Energy Forum, thus enabling us to access concessional funding for national energy initiatives,” she said.
The proposed African Regional Hub would serve as a decentralised platform for the GCF, bringing decision-making, coordination, access, and oversight closer to the countries it supports. Establishing the hub in Africa is expected to make it easier for nations on the continent to access climate finance while also reducing delays and transaction costs.
Namibia seeking membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
As it was reported in this newspaper on Monday, 29 September 2025, President Nandi-Ndaitwah also said that Namibia is seeking membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The NSG regulates nuclear trade to ensure it is used for peaceful nuclear purposes. For this reason, speaking on Friday in the United States at the 80th United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia supports the peaceful use of atomic energy while strongly opposing nuclear weapons.
“Namibia calls for the accountable use of nuclear energy and ensures that comprehensive safeguards are in place to remove any limitations and restrictions on the use of nuclear material, equipment and technology for peaceful purposes,” she said.
She said transparent cooperation and technology sharing are essential for nuclear energy to improve the quality of life globally. She also highlighted the need to strengthen collaboration in nuclear medicine and cancer care, particularly through technology transfer to developing countries. Namibia is the world’s third-largest uranium producer, with an estimated 5 500 to 6 500 tonnes expected in 2025, accounting for 11 to 12% of global supply.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to nuclear disarmament, citing Hiroshima and Nagasaki as reminders of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons. She warned that modernising nuclear arsenals remains a threat.
“While the final objective of the efforts of all states should continue to be the general and complete disarmament under effective international control, the immediate goal is the elimination of the danger of a nuclear war and implementation of measures to avoid an arms race and clear the path towards lasting peace,” she said.
PM Mia Motley of Barbados’s epic speech at the 80th UNGA: They make a desert and call it peace.
Speaking of female leaders, we were also highly impressed by the speech of Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados on Friday at the 80th UNGA when she told world leaders that the survival of small states and global peace depends on preserving a rules-based international system.
She warned that truth, trust and fairness were fraying under the weight of war, inequality and climate crisis. “Countries of different sizes, capacities and cultures can only survive in the world in which we live if we maintain a rules-based system,” PM Mottley said in her address to the UN General Assembly.
“The law of the jungle does not guarantee any of us a future or a liveable planet.”
PM Motley quoted the Roman historian Tacitus, who once said, “They make a wasteland, they call it peace” (Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant). The quote by Tacitus, who in turn quoted the Scottish Chieftain when they were fighting the military might of the Roman Empire, in its last two sentences says, “….they came to ravage, to slaughter, to steal; this they gave the false name of empire; and where they create a desert, they call it peace.”
This quote offers a biting critique of Roman imperialism by highlighting the destruction left in its wake and fiercely criticises Rome’s destructive actions, suggesting their “peace” was a consequence of brutal conquest and the creation of a desert. It seems the quote was meant to highlight the devastating war and the genocide being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
She said the “crisis of truth” is undermining institutions that once promoted order and prosperity, eroding trust between citizens and governments, and turning news, science and law into a tawdry spectacle. “When we lose shared truth, our countries and our global society lose their centre of gravity,” she warned.
Conflicts and crises
Turning to the proliferation of warfare, Prime Minister Mottley reiterated the need for peace in Ukraine but also pressed governments not to ignore suffering elsewhere. “The world must not ignore the horror in Sudan…and it must not ignore the horror in Gaza,” she said. She called for the release of hostages while denouncing disproportionate attacks on Palestinians.
She underlined the need for urgent humanitarian funding, saying $66 million was needed for Gaza’s children and $200 million for Sudan over the next three months – largely for food, water and health needs.
Climate change
On climate change, PM Mottley urged leaders to act with honesty and urgency. She welcomed international court opinions affirming states’ obligations to curb emissions and proposed a binding global framework on methane to slow temperature rise.
“The fossil fuel industry is not the enemy – it is the emissions,” she said, urging political will to unlock $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to finance the green transition. The Barbadian leader criticised the chronic underfunding of climate finance and the “grossly undercapitalised” Loss and Damage Fund.
PM Mottley also tied the climate and development agenda back to the central question of global governance. She warned that debates risk becoming “performative exercises” unless backed by resources and a functioning system rooted in fairness. “If we are to be protected by a rules-based system, then we must step up to the plate and provide the funds to bridge the gap to deliver the results that we desire,” she said.
PM Mottley also touched on UN reform, insisting the Security Council must reflect today’s multipolar world. “You cannot ask us really to show up for family photos and votes when you need them and then exclude us from the family’s decision-making. As if you are the grown-ups and we are the children.”
A Palestinian girl’s message
Prime Minister Mottley ended with the image of a young Palestinian girl aged six or seven walking through the rubble in Gaza with hollow eyes and her sister on her shoulders. “It was clear she was in great pain, yet she recognised it was she who would have to carry the burden of taking them to safety,” she said. Calling the scene “the ultimate picture of hope and resilience”, Ms Mottley urged leaders to draw strength from it. “If a six-year-old can push past the physical and emotional pain and still find hope that there is a better moment ahead of her, then we, with much more and with an obligation to many more, must summon that same will. The world needs it now more than ever.”
A defining test
All in all, President Nandi-Ndaitwah’s debut abroad has stirred pride at home and curiosity abroad. She represents continuity in Namibia’s principled foreign policy, but with renewed urgency for delivery.
The true challenge lies ahead: can she convert applause into investment, recognition into reforms, and honours into tangible benefits for ordinary Namibians? For young people yearning for jobs, women demanding equality, and businesses seeking growth, what will matter is whether international engagements translate into real change on the ground. Diplomacy without implementation risks becoming performance.
Conclusion: A new voice, a new chapter
In New York, President Nandi-Ndaitwah claimed Namibia’s place at the global table. In Philadelphia, she showed that diplomacy is also about engaging communities and institutions outside traditional circuits of power. Together, these visits mark the opening of Namibia’s economic diplomacy and, hopefully, her presidency that blends symbolism with strategy.For Namibia, the message is simple yet profound: our voice matters, our resources are valuable, and our leadership is ready to shape not only our destiny but also Africa’s rightful place in the world. The stage is set. The world has listened. Now, hard work begins.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of our employers and this newspaper but solely our personal views as citizens and Pan-Africanists.
