London
First Lady Monica Geingos says she has no political ambitions but will continue to focus on her private equities business while rolling out more charitable activities as wife of the president.
Geingos’ most notable portfolio in the ruling party Swapo was when she was selected to serve on the party’s think tank – forming part of the intellectuals tasked to help Swapo with policy and other interventions.
Since becoming first lady last year, Geingos has relinquished several positions and interests she held in different ventures, including directorships on boards of several companies.
Her Zimbabwean counterpart, Grace Mugabe, was nominated as head of the ZANU-PF Women’s League, and delegates to the party congress approved her nomination by acclamation in 2014. In becoming head of the women’s league, she also became a member of the ZANU-PF Politburo.
Geingos – who was speaking to the BBC in London last week – said business, charity and family remain her only prime interests, and not politics.
In fact, the first lady said she believes politics should be left to those competent in it, just as business and other fields should be left to those who are good at such.
“We all have a specific role to play and mine is in business,” Geingos, a law graduate, said.
“Business is what I know best and it is what I have been involved in all my adult life.”
“Politics is not my purpose and it’s not my passion,” the first lady, whose father is a prominent member of the Swapo Party Elders’ Council, said.
She and her husband, President Hage Geingob, voluntarily declared their assets ands business interests last year. The first lady revealed at the time that she was worth about N$60 million.
Since taking office as the first lady in March 2015, Geingos has changed the face of that office, rolling out targeted interventions to help less fortunate Namibians to realise their dreams.
Topping such efforts is the scholarship programme she launched this year through her newly-established One Economy Foundation. Scholarships are reserved for children from poor families, who would be enrolled in top schools with financing by the foundation.