Ericah Shafudah is appointed finance minister by the newly elected president of Namibia

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the recently elected president of Namibia, appointed Lucia Witbooi as vice president and Ericah Shafudah as finance minister in a smaller cabinet on Saturday.

Following her SWAPO party’s victory in November, Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in on Friday. She also appointed Selma Ashipala-Musavyi as minister of international affairs and commerce and Natangwe Ithete as minister of mines and energy.

Shafudah spent over 21 years at the finance ministry, her final position being executive director of finance before leaving in 2021 to become deputy country director of the World Food Program.

In a televised address, Namibia’s first female president, Nandi-Ndaitwah, stated that she had diluted her cabinet from 21 ministers and 21 deputies to 14 ministers and seven deputies by combining some functions and giving the ministers more authority.

According to her, this was done to ensure that the government’s development projects were implemented smoothly and effectively, eliminate duplications, and reduce spending.

The president’s office will be in charge of overseeing the new, developing oil and gas sectors, she continued.

The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah promised Friday to diversify the resource-based economy and increase investments in the agriculture sector in an effort to combat high unemployment rates.