NIPDB Bids Farewell to Uaandja After Transformative Tenure

By Staff Reporter

The Board of Directors of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) has bidden farewell to its founding CEO, Dr. Nangula Nelulu Uaandja, and appointed Ms. Jessica Hauuanga as Acting Chief Executive Officer.

In a media statement, the NIPDB Board stated: “On behalf of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the Board of Directors hereby bids farewell to our founding Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nangula Nelulu Uaandja, who will be stepping down on December 31, 2025. Dr. Uaandja has led the NIPDB throughout its formative years, leaving an impactful tenure characterised by exceptional vision-casting, purposeful leadership, and agile execution of the institution’s mandate.”

The NIPDB was established at a time when Namibia found itself at an economic inflection point, requiring agile and bold leadership to drive the country’s economic diversification strategy and establish its relevance as an investment destination. As the NIPDB’s first CEO, Dr. Uaandja has been instrumental in shaping the institution’s foundation, establishing the strategy, systems, and processes upon which our continued success is built. Under her leadership, the NIPDB established itself as a centre of excellence – a hallmark of its work – characterised by a consistent pursuit of innovation and anchored by a highly capable and agile team. This reflects Dr. Uaandja’s strategic foresight and her commitment to nurturing talent and empowering teams to consistently serve with diligence and excellence.

Under her tenure, the NIPDB has facilitated investment promotion activities in key markets around the world, making Namibia a preferred and dynamic investment destination. These activities were supported by the Government’s ongoing collective efforts to improve the country’s competitiveness and the ease of doing business in Namibia, which in turn led to improved investor and private sector confidence. As a result, over the past four years, Namibia recorded an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI), reaching a record N$48.2 billion in 2023, which is more than double the N$17.3 billion recorded in 2022. From 2021 to 2023, average FDI as a percentage of GDP was 12.10%, increasing to 21% in 2023 — a figure consistent with economies like Singapore. Historically, Namibia’s FDI as a percentage of GDP was 7%.

FDI Intelligence ranked Namibia first in Africa and second globally in the May 2025 Greenfield FDI Performance Index. The Index measures how effectively countries attract greenfield FDI relative to the size of their economies. In the 2025 ranking, Namibia advanced 10 places from the previous year, securing the top position on the continent.

From a local business development perspective, the NIPDB has intentionally strengthened the capacity of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and enhanced their potential to drive private sector activity and economic growth. Namibia’s collective efforts to optimise its entrepreneurial ecosystem have also gained international recognition. In the 2025 Global Start-up Ecosystem Index, Namibia’s start-up ecosystem was ranked 85th, improving from 87th in the previous year. Notably, Windhoek recorded a significant 74% increase to secure 4th place in the Southern African region.

Throughout her tenure, Dr. Uaandja has played a critical role in establishing and strengthening trust-based relationships with investors and key stakeholders, ensuring that transparency, collaboration, and shared value remain central to our work. She was instrumental in bridging the gap between the private and public sectors, facilitating meaningful dialogue that advanced mutual priorities and contributed to the attainment of the Government’s development agenda, including employment creation. The recently concluded Namibia Public and Private Forum (NamPPF) was a culmination of these efforts to align the Namibian business community with the national development agenda.

Through her exemplary leadership over the past five years, Dr. Uaandja has built a strong foundation and leaves an institution that is strategically positioned to continue supporting the Government’s economic development and diversification agenda. Under her guidance, the NIPDB has strengthened investor confidence in Namibia and is now well-poised to positively shape the country’s global image.

The outgoing CEO has left an indelible mark on the organisation and has developed an executive team well-equipped to carry the work forward. Early next year, the Board will initiate a recruitment process to appoint a substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the NIPDB in its new form. In the interim, Ms. Jessica Hauuanga will serve as Acting CEO until the recruitment process is concluded. Ms. Hauuanga has served as the Executive: Investor Experience since 2021. We have full confidence in Ms. Hauuanga’s capabilities to lead the NIPDB during this transitional phase of its growth and wish her well in this role. We encourage all our stakeholders to extend the same support afforded to Dr. Nangula Uaandja in ensuring continuity and maintaining investor confidence.

On behalf of the entire NIPDB team, we extend our deepest appreciation to Dr. Uaandja for her unwavering dedication to advancing Namibia’s economic development, for cultivating a resilient and excellence-driven team, and for establishing an institution that will continue to diligently serve investors and the Namibian nation at large. The Board expresses its sincere gratitude for her exceptional and purpose-driven leadership and wishes her continued success in all future endeavours.

ENDS.