Allexer Namundjembo
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) says its outgoing chief executive officer Nangula Uaandja has built a strong executive team to support institutional change.
Uaandja is preparing to leave office at the end of December.
Jessica Hauuanga has been appointed acting chief executive officer with effect from 1 January 2026.
Hauuanga, who has served as Executive: Investor Experience since 2021, assumes the role following Uaandja’s departure when her contract ends on 31 December.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NIPDB board said it has full confidence in Hauuanga’s ability to lead the institution during this transitional phase of its growth. The board urged stakeholders to support the leadership to ensure continuity and maintain investor confidence.
The board bid farewell to Uaandja for her role in building the institution from its inception, saying she leaves behind “an institution that is strategically positioned to continue supporting the government’s economic development and diversification agenda.”
The NIPDB began operations in January 2021 after taking over from the former Namibia Investment Centre as the country’s lead investment promotion agency.
It was established by presidential proclamation in March 2020 to drive economic diversification, attract local and foreign direct investment, improve the ease of doing business, and coordinate support for micro, small and medium enterprises.
Under Uaandja’s leadership, the NIPDB said it expanded investment promotion activities in key global markets and worked to position Namibia as a more competitive investment destination.
These efforts aligned with broader government reforms aimed at strengthening the business environment and encouraging private sector participation.
During this period, it said Namibia recorded a sharp increase in foreign direct investment, reaching a record N$48.2 billion in 2023, more than double the N$17.3 billion recorded in 2022.
Between 2021 and 2023, average FDI as a share of gross domestic product stood at 12.10%, before rising to 21% in 2023. Historically, Namibia’s FDI-to-GDP ratio averaged about 7%.
The country also received international recognition. In May 2025, FDI Intelligence ranked Namibia first in Africa and second globally in its Greenfield FDI Performance Index, which measures how effectively countries attract greenfield investment relative to economic size.
Namibia climbed ten places from the previous year to top the continent.
At home, the NIPDB focused on strengthening the capacity of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises to support private sector growth. The 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index recognised Namibia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, elevating the country’s ranking from 87th to 85th. Windhoek recorded a 74% improvement to place fourth in the Southern Africa region.
Throughout her tenure, NIPDB said Uaandja played a role in building relationships with investors and key stakeholders, with an emphasis on transparency, collaboration and shared value. She also facilitated dialogue between the public and private sectors on shared priorities such as job creation.
The board said Uaandja also developed a strong executive team to ensure continuity during the transition.
It said a recruitment process to appoint a substantive chief executive will begin early next year in line with the NIPDB’s revised structure. Hauuanga will lead the organisation in the interim.
Earlier this year, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced the realignment of the NIPDB under the Ministry of International Relations and Trade to improve coordination between investment promotion, trade and economic diplomacy.
The move, according to Nandi-Ndaitwah, would better align the national development agenda and support preparations for the Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill, which is expected to strengthen the investment legal framework.
The NIPDB now reports through the ministry rather than directly to the office of the president.
The board reaffirmed its focus on advancing Namibia’s investment objectives and expressed appreciation for Uaandja’s leadership.
“We encourage all our stakeholders to extend the same support afforded to Dr Uaandja in ensuring continuity and maintaining investor confidence,” the statement said.
Contacted for comment on her departure, Uaandja referred Observer to responses she gave The Namibian newspaper in November, saying they accurately reflected her position.
“My five-year contract as NIPDB chief executive will indeed cease on 31 December. Concurrently, the NIPDB is undergoing structural changes emanating from its recent realignment to the Ministry of International Relations and Trade,” she said.
She added that potential adjustments are expected under the Namibia Investment Promotion and Facilitation Bill, which is likely to be tabled in parliament in the near future.
