by Collins Nweke
Meet Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, first female President-Elect of Namibia. She will assume office on 21 March 2025 following her victory in the 27 November 2024 Presidential Elections. Being Namibia’s first female president is a landmark event with significant implications for the nation’s political and economic landscape. Her campaign’s emphasis on job creation and economic development through economic diplomacy addresses Namibia’s pressing challenges, notably high unemployment and economic inequality.
Campaigning under the political platform of South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) on the back of economic diplomacy, Nandi-Ndaitwah joins a league of notable but sparse presidential campaigns across the world, from developed to developing economies, that centered on economic diplomacy, emphasising international partnerships, trade, and economic reforms to drive development. This is uncommon yet deserving of interrogation. Can her narrow margin of victory of 57% be ascribed to her choice of campaign focus on economic diplomacydespite worse predictions? This remains to be seen. It is however instructive to note that SWAPO was in political decline when she made her bid for the top job. The decline set in with the 2019 elections when the party received 56% of the vote, down from a whopping 87% in 2014. SWAPO, which gained its base fighting against Apartheid in 1990, is seemingly losing support among youth voters, who are dissatisfied with low employment rates.
A window to Netumbonomics
Madam President-Elect focused her campaigntypically on job creation and economic development. A look at the economic components of her campaign manifesto will provide the lens through which hereconomic ideology or Netumbonomics could be examined. She pledged to invest N$85 billion to create 550,000 jobs over the next half-decade, targeting sectors such as agriculture, construction, and oil and gas. This initiative aims to reduce the youth unemployment rate, which is estimated to be over 50%.
As means to achieving her job creation goal, her strategy involves leveraging Namibia’s natural resources to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) while ensuring that such investments align with national interests. By promoting value addition in sectors like mining and agriculture, she seeks to enhance local production and export capacity, thereby stimulating economic growth and job creation.
Beyond job creation, there are other indications that Nandi-Ndaitwah’s presidential victory may be attributed to her emphasis on economic diplomacy, which obviously resonated with the electorate. There are four additional reasons to consider as constituting the backbone of Netumbonomics, that powered her victory.
Firstly, her commitment to economic diplomacy aimed at attracting foreign investment to stimulate economic growth. By fostering international partnerships, she is seeking to enhance sectors like mining, tourism, and agriculture, thereby diversifying the economy and creating employment opportunities.
Secondly, she made a point out of addressing economic inequality. Namibia is classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank but remains highly unequal, with 43% of the population living in multidimensional poverty as of 2021. Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised the need for land reform and a fairer distribution of wealth. She drew from examples from elsewhere in Africa and global best practices in women empowerment, giving insights to a strategy that will invite through diplomacy, women with economic poweraround the world to inspire, motivate, and invest in Namibian women. Her appeal to voters seeking economic justice appears to have resonated well.
Thirdly, recent offshore oil and gas discoveries have the potential to significantly boost Namibia’s economy. Nandi-Ndaitwah’s focus on economic diplomacy included plans to utilize resources like oil and gas to double the country’s GDP growth to 8% within a decade, promising improved livelihoods for Namibians.
Finally, as a seasoned politician with extensive experience in government, including a stint as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s economic diplomacy platform offered continuity and stability. Her leadership was perceived as a means to maintain peace and stability while implementing necessary economic reforms, which appealed to voters desiring a steady hand during transformative times.
While Namibia’s election of its first female President is a historical milestone, it is her decision to anchor her campaign on economic diplomacy that appears to be a game changer for the continent. Her victory represents a significant step toward gender equality in African leadership. It could be argued that what delivered her victory was more of her policy shiftsand economic transformation agenda, than the focus on economic diplomacy. Before comparing her strategy with those of contemporary political leaders across the world, it may be instructive to assert that her commitment to “radical shifts” in addressing poverty and unemployment suggests potential departures from previous policies. She focused on equitable wealth distribution and land reform. By prioritizing economic diplomacy, she also aims to transform Namibia’s economy from one reliant on raw material exports to a more diversified and industrialized economy, enhancing resilience and sustainability.
Contemporary pacesetters on economic diplomacy as political strategy
There seems to be a thread that runs through a set of themes for political leaders that have anchored their campaign strategies on economic diplomacy, which may offer some clue on where Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is coming from. The themes across the campaigns have typically included global integration, infrastructure and industry, natural resource endowments, and regional leadership.
Candidates often emphasize strengthening their country’s position in global trade. Many, if not all of the examined campaigns promote FDI for large-scale development projects. The resource endowed nationsamongst them have used economic diplomacy to attract ethical and sustainable investments while aiming to position their economies as regional economic hubs. Despite some variables, thecampaigns generally show how economic diplomacy can be a powerful narrative, especially in countries seeking economic transformation and greater global influence.
Here is a paintbrush of notable presidential campaigns across the world that centered on economic diplomacy, emphasizing international partnerships, trade, and economic reforms to drive development, from which Nandi-Ndaitwah may have drawn inspiration.
Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria, 1999) UnlikeNetumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, economic diplomacy was not the nucleus of Olusegun Obasanjo’scampaign theme. However, it was a cornerstone of his broader promise to restore stability, improve governance, and lay the foundation for economic growth in Nigeria. His approach was shaped by Nigeria’s economic challenges in the aftermath of military rule and his commitment to reestablishing Nigeria’s position in the global economic and diplomatic landscape.
Key aspects of the Obasanjo strategy include a focus on debt relief, emphasising his ability to engage with international financial institutions and foreign governments to address Nigeria’s crippling foreign debt. Upon election, his administration’s efforts led to significant debt forgiveness, which was a key part of his economic diplomacy. He made demonstrable efforts to reintegrate Nigeria’s economy into the Global Economy. Following years of isolation under military rule, Obasanjo’s campaign pledged to rebuild Nigeria’s reputation internationally. He highlighted his previous leadership experience, as military head of state in the period 1976–1979 and his global network, promising to attract foreign investment and improve trade relations.
It was clear from his consultations pre-election that if Obasanjo undertakes economic reforms, international support will be easier to secure. Hisplatform therefore inevitably included promises to reform Nigeria’s economy through privatization, liberalization, and improved governance. This resonated with voters and the international community, positioning him as a candidate capable of modernizing Nigeria’s economy. His Advocacy for Regional Integration turned out to be a winning strategy as he also campaigned on leveraging Nigeria’s position as a regional leader in West Africa to strengthen economic ties and enhance trade within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Enjoying high personal credibility as he did at the time, Obasanjo’s international reputation as an advocate for African development lent credibility to his promises of fostering economic diplomacy.His antecedents including his work with organisations like the United Nations and the African Leadership Forum and his post-election actions, including extensive international outreach and reforms, reinforced the campaign promises centered on economic diplomacy.
Barack Obama’s (USA, 2008 & 2012) key focus was on economic recovery post-2008 financial crisis. He approached his economic diplomacy from the angle of strengthening trade ties with emerging markets in Asia and Africa. The means to his goal was advocating for multilateral trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and promoting innovation and clean energy partnerships with Europe and China. The major outcome of his strategy was that it positioned the U.S. as a global economic leader during a period of economic uncertainty.
Narendra Modi’s (India, 2014 & 2019) main attention was on conomic growth and global investment. His economic diplomacy point of departure was promoting India as an investment destination through campaigns like “Make in India.”Strategically, he signed bilateral agreements with Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the U.S. for infrastructure and trade development while proactively participating in global forums like BRICS, G20, and the UN to bolster India’s economic positioning. His major deliverable was increased FDI inflows and global partnerships, though challenges like domestic economic inequality persist, as the gap between the rich and the poor grew wider.
Emmanuel Macron (France, 2017 & 2022) pitched his tent around liberal economic reforms and stronger EU integration. In terms of economic diplomacy, his angle was a push for stronger, unified EU economy through deeper market integration while he attracted foreign investment by proposing pro-business reforms of which an intentional strategy was labourmarket deregulation as he laid the foundation stones to strengthening trade relationships with Asia and pivoting a new Africa policy from the Anglophone economies. While Macron has so far successfully positioned France as a global economic player, he continues as of 2025 to face domestic resistance to reforms and waning influence in Africa.
Joko Widodo (Indonesia, 2014 & 2019) was a proponent of global infrastructure and trade partnerships. His economic diplomacy strategic direction emphasised investments from China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and strengthened partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. for manufacturing, R&D, and technology transfer. He mounted a strong advocacy for Indonesia as a hub for Southeast Asian trade, all of which resulted in improved infrastructure and trade opportunities. One critical downside though was criticisms of overreliance on foreign capital.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s (Liberia, 2005) post-conflict reconstruction and economic rebuildingenjoyed enormous global goodwill. She strategically converted the goodwill into economic diplomacy, which garnered international aid and investment through partnerships, notably with the U.S., EU, and China. President Sirleaf promoted natural resource management reforms to attract ethical investmentresulting in secured substantial foreign aid and investment, laying the foundation for Liberia’s economic recovery.
Moon Jae-in (South Korea, 2017) zeroed in on peace on the Korean Peninsula and economic revitalization, of which his economic diplomacy angle was advocacy for inter-Korean economic cooperation to attract investment and foster peace.Jae-in strengthened South Korea’s position as a technological and economic leader through global trade agreements. The outcome was a stabilisedSouth Korean economy with significant expansion of its global partnerships.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s (Ghana, 2016 & 2020) key focus was on economic self-reliance and foreign investments while approaching economic diplomacy from the angle of strengthening of ties with China, the U.S., and EU nations for industrialization and infrastructure development. Genuine efforts were made to take the shine off aids with the launch of initiatives such as “Ghana Beyond Aid”. The efforts resulted in the boosting of Ghana’s reputation as an investment destination, especially in the mining and tech industries.
Conclusion
President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory and her focus on job creation mainly througheconomic diplomacy holds the promise of significant positive changes for Namibia, provided that her administration can effectively implement the proposed strategies. Implementing her ambitious plans will require overcoming challenges such as securing the necessary funding, ensuring effective governance, and addressing potential resistance to reforms. Additionally, fostering a conducive environment for FDI while safeguarding national interests will be crucial.
Collins Nweke is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria and Institute of Management Consultants, and Distingushed Fellow of the International Association of Research Scholars and Administrators, where he also serves in its Governing Council. He writes from Brussels, Belgium.
