Uaandja to leave NIPDB end of next month

Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) chief executive Nangula Uaandja will step down from the organisation by the end of the year. At least two sources have confirmed to The Namibian that Uaandja told staff members in a meeting on Friday that her contract ends on 31 December and will not be renewed. NIPDB spokesperson Catherine Shipushu on Friday declined to comment. “Given the nature of the questions, we kindly refer you to the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, under which the NIPDB resorts, to respond accordingly,” she said. Uaandja’s departure comes as the government has stripped the NIPDB of key powers and moved it under the Ministry of International Relations and Trade. The NIPDB was established in 2020 as a not-for-gain Section 21 company, with Uaandja serving as its chief executive. Three months ago, NIPDB employees were briefed about looming restructuring, although new reporting lines have not been made public. Some say they are not sure if they would still have jobs once the investment board becomes a department. Uaandja was appointed in 2021 as the NIPDB’s first chief executive when the agency was established under the Office of the President during former president Hage Geingob’s tenure. She has since overseen its investment promotion mandate and the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during its formative years. NIPDB, during Geingob’s tenure, has over the years enjoyed what sources say is autonomy by reporting directly to the president. However, under president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s tenure, the government relied on international relations minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi to steer the investment mandate with NIPDB. Sources say the government intends to downgrade the NIPDB to a department under the Ministry of International Relations and Trade.