♦ Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (72) was sworn in as the first woman president of the southern African nation of Namibia.

♦ She replaced Nangolo Mbumba. Nandi-Ndaitwah’s SWAPO party, which has ruled the country for over three decades, won both the presidential and parliamentary elections in November, 2024.

♦ She previously served as vice president and won 58 percent of the vote. Nandi-Ndaitwah is the latest in a small group of women to hold the presidency in Africa. Others include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Samia Suluhu Hassan in Tanzania.