Notable Quotes by President Hage G. Geingob, 2022-2023

Throughout the year 2022, a “Year of Reimaging,” His Excellency Dr. Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation was engaged and/ or participated in national and international occasions where he delivered statements. From his national and international statements of addresses and participation, the Presidency took some of the notable quotes as follows:

1. “After three decades of independence, we pride ourselves as Namibians for the progress we have made in increasing women’s representation in Parliament, from 7% in 1990 to 46% in the current parliament. We will continue to intentionally promote young women and girls in order to give them a voice in different arenas of our governance architecture.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, 8 MARCH 2022

2. “Engagements of this nature is an indication that our democracy has matured beyond petty politics and shows that as leaders of this great nation, we have an obligation to embrace the notion of collaborative governance to foster national cohesion and unity.”

ON THE MESSAGE OF APPRECIATION TO THE NAMIBIAN POLITICAL PARTIES LEADERS FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL CONSULTATION ON THE ISSUES OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT HELD, 7-9 MARCH 2022

3. “32 years ago, the flag of Apartheid South Africa was lowered for the very last time, never to be flown again over our liberated land. 32 years ago, the world witnessed the birth of a nation as labour pains— the long and bitter struggle for independence and the sacrifices paid in blood—were replaced by the ululation of a people freed from the shackles of colonial oppression, racism, and war.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 32nd INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, 21 MARCH 2022

4. “I encourage all of you who have not yet invested in Namibia to make an investment decision and become Namibia’s investment partner. And if not an investment partner, then try to become Namibia’s tourism partner. Namibia is ready to do business and welcomes you with many opportunities.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE NAMIBIA INVESTMENT SUMMIT, 23 MARCH 2022

5. “We have recorded significant successes and milestones, such as the peace and security we enjoy; growing our economy by four times the size of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the apartheid era; expansion of our physical and communication infrastructure, including our national road network, which is rated Number 1 in Africa; poverty reduction through comprehensive social safety nets; improved access to safe and clean drinking water; universal access to primary and secondary education; and gender parity both in the classroom and in Government leadership roles. In addition to the 50/50 gender parity between the top four positions in the Executive, Namibia ranks among the leading countries in the world with the greatest participation of women in Parliament. Continentally, we rank only behind Rwanda, while globally we are 7th.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS, WINDHOEK PARLIAMENT, 6 APRIL 2022

6. “We should continue with the drive to increase vaccinations in order to achieve herd immunity. This will not only limit severe illness and hospitalisations but will also instill confidence in the economy, specifically in the tourism and hospitality sectors, which have been negatively affected by COVID-19. There remains a lot of work ahead before we can safely say that COVID-19 is behind us. I once more acknowledge and thank all members of our society, including our Development Partners and friendly nations, for their support, cooperation and collaboration over the past two difficult years.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 42nd COVID-19 PUBLIC BRIEFING ON THE NATIONAL RESPONSE MEASURES, 13 APRIL 2022

7. “The Namibian House will always be as strong as the health of its citizens. Noting the importance of and demand for healthcare services, the Government will continue to invest in research and development, promoting innovation and technology, and driving greater cross-sector, cross-professional collaboration in the area of healthcare.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES TRAINING COMPLEX, 28 APRIL 2022

8. “1 May Day, a day of remembrance for workers, is an important achievement in the fight by workers in recognition of their contributions to society and socio-economic development. Recognizing the fact that the day signifies awareness about some of the difficulties faced by workers in their collective endeavour to improve their working conditions, the Namibian Government stands with workers in that ongoing journey.” ON THE OCCASION OF NAMIBIAN AND INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY, 1 MAY 2022

9. “It is our duty to ensure that the dreams, aspirations and blood of those sons and daughters of Namibia who laid down their lives so that we can enjoy our freedom today are not betrayed. Therefore, the most befitting manner in which we can honour the memory of Cassinga Day and the sacrifices of our heroes and heroines is by working hard, in unity, towards the realization of a better Namibia, guided by the principles of social justice, solidarity and the improvement of the standards of living of all our people. Let us, therefore, engage, as a collective, in actions that give deserving respect to those who lost their lives for the freedom and independence of our country.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 44TH COMMEMORATION OF CASSINGA DAY, 4 MAY 2022

10. “We should prioritize preparing our young people to be generational leaders and including them in leadership structures so they can be represented in the echelon and express their opinions on subjects that are important to them.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY, 12 AUGUST 2022

11. “Peace is a wonderful gift but is a fragile one as well. Therefore, for us to maintain peace and unity in our independent Namibia, it requires each one of us to bury the hatchets, banish grudges and don the garments of blue, green, red, white and yellow. These are the colours of our flag, these are the colours of our Namibian House and these are the only colours that should matter to the free and liberated people of Namibia.”

ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMMEMORATION OF HEROES’ DAY 26 AUGUST 2022

12. “I am proud to say that throughout the Year of Reimaging, Namibians across the country have demonstrated the maturity, patience and understanding needed to maintain peace.”

ON THE NEW YEAR MESSAGE, 31 DECEMBER 2022