Lydia Pitiri

KIGALI – The Dr Hage Geingob Fellows was launched through the Inter-Generational Leadership Accelerator (ILA) programme during the inauguration of the Leadership Lab Yetu in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday.

Former first lady and co-chairperson of Yetu, Monica Geingos, launched the initiative. 

The event was attended by Yetu’s board of directors, former president of the Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, and Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Ndaba Gaolathe, among other captains of industry.

The Dr Hage Geingob Fellows include Cabinet ministers, mayors and civil society leaders from countries including Nigeria, Botswana, Chad, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Angola, The Gambia, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Morocco, Cameroon, Tanzania, Rwanda, Liberia and Niger.

The inauguration, honouring the legacy of the late former president Geingob, establishes Yetu as a Pan-African hub designed to bridge the gap between emerging and established leaders.

The platform aims to equip participants with the skills and networks needed to navigate Africa’s demographic transition and foster inter-generational collaboration.

Geingos said they felt it appropriate to call this cohort the Dr Hage Geingob Fellows for a couple of reasons: he was not just a nationalist, but a Pan-Africanist. “He really believed that Namibian talent is world-class, so we must focus on the continent if we are going to develop African leadership,” said the co-chairperson.

The second reason, she added, was his leadership path. His trials and tribulations are similar to what the fellows in the programme are going through. Even though they are from different parts of the continent, much of what some of them say echoes what the late former Namibian president experienced as a leader.

“We felt it was very appropriate to celebrate Namibia’s leadership on a Pan-African stage, but secondly to share his story. As Namibians, we must stop being shy about sharing our stories and successes, and the depth of our leaders,” Geingos noted.

She stated that the late Founding President Sam Nujoma was also one of the founding fathers of the continent, a legacy that must be celebrated by Namibians. She added that this legacy can best be honoured by creating institutions that extend beyond Namibia’s borders and embody Pan-African ideals. 

-Nampa