The Namibian High Commission in Ghana has held a memoriam to mourn its Founding President, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, and celebrate his life and influence in the country’s political history.
The ceremony, held at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra last Thursday night, was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, the Namibian Community, political figures and Ghanaian statesmen and women.
Key personalities who graced the occasion included former President, John Agyekum Kufuor; former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, and the Dean of the South African Development Community, Kufa Edward Chinoza.
The rest were the Mozambique Ambassador to Ghana, Fortunato Albrinho; the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Tai Hernandez Garces; the Algerian Ambassador to Ghana, Mourad, Louhaidia; Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Moses Ifedayo Adeoye, and the Chief of Staff of AfCFTA, Rui Livramento, among others.
Dr Nujoma passed away on February 9, this year, in the capital of Namibia, Windhoek, at age 95, following his hospitalisation for about three weeks. He was the Founding President of Namibia.
Dr Nujoma led Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 and became the Southern African country’s first President after his South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) he founded on April 19, 1960, secured a majority in the Constituent Assembly.
He was unanimously elected by the National Assembly as the country’s first President on February 16, 1990, and was sworn in on March 21 of the same year. He was re-elected for two more terms in 1994 and 1999.
He was appraised as the Founding Father of Namibia through a legislative Act (Act 16 of 2005) enacted by the Namibian Parliament. The late Dr Nujoma handed over power on March 21, 2005, to former President Hifikepunye Pohamba. He served as leader of the SWAPO for 47 years and stepped aside from that position on November 30, 2007.
Solidarity
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in solidarity with Namibians and the whole of Africa on the passing of the former President, described him as “a fearless liberator, a visionary and a statesman of unwavering conviction”.
He eulogised the towering contribution of Dr Nujoma in the struggle for African liberation, self-determination, dignity and unity, saying, “President Nujoma was not only the father of Namibia, but also a beacon of hope and resilience for all who yearned for freedom and justice”.
He added that the legacies of the late President Nujoma and President Dr Kwame Nkrumah were intertwined as indelible symbols of Africa’s collective struggle for self-determination and pan-Africanism.
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Namibian High Commission holds memoriam for Sam Nujoma
Pacome Emmanuel Damalie
Feb - 24 - 2025 , 09:57
4 minutes read
Selma Ashipala-Musavyi (2nd from left), Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, with some dignitaries including John Agyekum Kufuor (3rd from left), former President of Ghana; Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (4th from left), former First Lady, and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (4th from right), Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the memoriam for Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s first President
Selma Ashipala-Musavyi (2nd from left), Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, with some dignitaries including John Agyekum Kufuor (3rd from left), former President of Ghana; Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (4th from left), former First Lady, and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (4th from right), Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the memoriam for Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s first President
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The Namibian High Commission in Ghana has held a memoriam to mourn its Founding President, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, and celebrate his life and influence in the country’s political history.
The ceremony, held at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra last Thursday night, was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, the Namibian Community, political figures and Ghanaian statesmen and women.
Key personalities who graced the occasion included former President, John Agyekum Kufuor; former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, and the Dean of the South African Development Community, Kufa Edward Chinoza.
The rest were the Mozambique Ambassador to Ghana, Fortunato Albrinho; the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Tai Hernandez Garces; the Algerian Ambassador to Ghana, Mourad, Louhaidia; Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Moses Ifedayo Adeoye, and the Chief of Staff of AfCFTA, Rui Livramento, among others.
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Background
Dr Nujoma passed away on February 9, this year, in the capital of Namibia, Windhoek, at age 95, following his hospitalisation for about three weeks. He was the Founding President of Namibia.
Dr Nujoma led Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 and became the Southern African country’s first President after his South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) he founded on April 19, 1960, secured a majority in the Constituent Assembly.
He was unanimously elected by the National Assembly as the country’s first President on February 16, 1990, and was sworn in on March 21 of the same year. He was re-elected for two more terms in 1994 and 1999.
He was appraised as the Founding Father of Namibia through a legislative Act (Act 16 of 2005) enacted by the Namibian Parliament. The late Dr Nujoma handed over power on March 21, 2005, to former President Hifikepunye Pohamba. He served as leader of the SWAPO for 47 years and stepped aside from that position on November 30, 2007.
Solidarity
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in solidarity with Namibians and the whole of Africa on the passing of the former President, described him as “a fearless liberator, a visionary and a statesman of unwavering conviction”.
He eulogised the towering contribution of Dr Nujoma in the struggle for African liberation, self-determination, dignity and unity, saying, “President Nujoma was not only the father of Namibia, but also a beacon of hope and resilience for all who yearned for freedom and justice”.
He added that the legacies of the late President Nujoma and President Dr Kwame Nkrumah were intertwined as indelible symbols of Africa’s collective struggle for self-determination and pan-Africanism.
“President Nujoma's leadership exemplified President Nkrumah's vision, demonstrating a common belief in the dedication to the total liberation of the African continent,” he said.
For his part, ex-President Kufuor lauded the transformational leadership Dr Nujoma exemplified for a newly independent nation and forged it into “a beacon of hope and stability, not only for southern Africa but also for the entire continent”.
This feat, he said, led him to crown Dr Nujoma with the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the highest honour of the country in 2004 as the then President.
Reflection
The Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mrs Ashipala-Musavyi, eulogised the Founding President, saying, “He steered Namibia with a steady hand and laid the foundation of peace, unity and economic emancipation. His leadership was about nation-building, self-reliance and solidifying African unity and solidarity”.
The High Commissioner said Dr Nujoma dreamt of a self-sufficient Namibia that stood equal among the community of nations and believed in the power of education, the strength and capacity of the youth, and the responsibility of every Namibian to contribute to nation-building.
She added that with the passing of the late President, the Continent had now said a final farewell to the African leaders who fought for the liberation of Africa from colonialism, including, “Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Ahmed Ben Bela, Gamel Abdul Nasser, Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Modibo Keita, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Samora Michel, Kenneth Kaunda, Robert Mugabe and Nelson Mandela.
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