On March 27, 2020, Emma Inamutila Theofelus became the youngest current serving minister in Namibia and Africa, following her appointment by President Hage Geingob as the Deputy Minister of Information, Communication, and Technology for a five-year term (March 2020 – March 2025). Theofelus, who was 23 at the time of her appointment, became a member of parliament and cabinet minister tasked with the responsibility of leading Namibia’s official Covid-19 communication program.
Before her appointment, Theofelus was a youth activist and advocate for gender equality, child’s rights, youth employment, and sustainable development. Her previous roles as the Speaker of the Youth Parliament of Namibia (2013 – 2018), and former Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek, prepared her ahead of time with the leadership skills to handle her tasks as deputy minister.
“We all started somewhere. I am not new to leadership and I will leverage the skills and experience I gained in my activism to make a success of this new role. I believe that I am well on my way.” – Theofelus.
*The views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.