President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will continue to serve as Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy until further notice, as the Presidency has not indicated a timeframe for any possible leadership adjustments.
This follows the President’s engagements with both staff and management of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME).
According to Presidential Spokesperson Jonas Mbambo, the meetings were aimed at allowing President Nandi-Ndaitwah to familiarise herself with the ministry’s operations and gain insight into its internal workings.
Mbambo said the management team was scheduled to deliver presentations on Thursday, providing an overview of how the ministry functions and outlining key areas of progress and challenges faced over the past seven months.
“The purpose of the meeting was to familiarise myself with the workings of the ministry. On Thursday, the management team is expected to deliver presentations outlining how the ministry operates and highlighting its key activities over the last seven months,” he said.
This development follows the President’s removal of Natangwe Ithete from his duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, with immediate effect. Ithete, however, will remain a Member of Parliament.
Ithete was appointed in March 2025 to serve in the dual role while overseeing the newly merged ministry.
According to the Presidency, the decision to relieve him of his duties was made in line with Article 32(6) of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia.
The Presidency further stated that, to ensure continuity and effective coordination, President Nandi-Ndaitwah will assume direct responsibility for the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy with immediate effect.
Before his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister, Ithete served as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration from 2020 to 2025. He also previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance under former President Hage Geingob from 2015 to 2020.
This comes after President Nandi-Ndaitwah, in May, appointed Kornelia Shilunga and Carlo Lord Muhamed McLeod as Special Advisors in the Presidency, tasked with establishing and managing the newly created Upstream Petroleum Unit.
The move shifted oversight of the oil and gas sector from the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy to the Office of the President.
