Former Namibia First Lady Geingos on leadership, youth empowerment, and her work in Rwanda

Former First Lady of Namibia, Monica Geingos, widow of the late President Hage Geingob, recently visited Kigali where she was inaugurated as the Founding Chancellor of Kepler College on April 2. At 48, Geingos becomes the first person to hold the position, joining Vice-Chancellor Prof. Baylie Damtie Yeshita and Ambassador Charles Murigande, Chairperson of the college’s Governance Council. In an exclusive interview with The New Times’ Davis Higiro, Geingos spoke at length on her vision for Kepler College, her continued advocacy work on the continent, as well as proposed investments in Rwanda— including the launch of a pan-African leadership institution which she plans to establish in Kigali later this year. Geingos served as Namibia’s First Lady from 2015 through 2024, until the untimely demise of her late husband. Now, she is charting a new path, one focused on education, leadership development, and youth empowerment. Below are the excerpts: As the inaugural Chancellor, what strategic goals do you envision for Kepler College in the coming years? So, Kepler has an incredible leadership team, starting from the chairperson to its CEO and its faculty. My role is really that of a cheerleader; to be able to tap into whatever little I can contribute in terms of the vision. But I think the vision and the mission are clearly defined. It's a relatively small university with big aspirations. And what attracted me was really its Pan-African ideal of becoming accessible to the average African student. And given the need we have, as Africans, to develop leadership at all levels , in a way that's unapologetically African, in a way that doesn't compromise on quality, that really integrates with why I agreed to become the founding Chancellor of Kepler: a university that focuses on quality and accessible education. How do you balance your roles as Chancellor, advocate, and former First Lady? What keeps you motivated? There’s an urgency now. When you look at how quickly the world is changing and where Africa is, there’s so much we need to change, and quickly, starting with leadership, not just at the political level, but across all sectors. I’m driven by a sense of urgency, especially when it comes to young Africans and equipping them with the right skills. Kepler uses a competency-based model which, in my view, is working. It has the potential to scale across the continent, at a relatively low cost, to equip not only Rwandan youth, but young people from across Africa. My journey as First Lady ended abruptly and unexpectedly. But even before that, I always had a clear plan of what I wanted to focus on after, and that has always been around empowering young Africans with pragmatic leadership skills. My role at Kepler aligns with that mission. We’re also working on another initiative focused on youth leadership across Africa. This has been a consistent theme throughout my career, even before my time as First Lady. I ran a fairly large private equity fund in Namibia, and mentorship has always been at the core of my work. So, nobody should be surprised that this is still my focus. And how do I balance it all? I wish I knew. I honestly don’t — but somehow, we make it work. You mentioned plans to launch a pan-African leadership institution in Kigali. Can you tell us more about it — what it will focus on, why Kigali, and when it will launch? I’m working on an institution that will be based here in Kigali, because I believe Rwanda offers a great leadership ecosystem. It’s well-organized, inclusive, and provides a living example of pragmatic leadership — all of which make Kigali the right place to do this from. The institution is called Leadership Lab Yetu — “Yetu” meaning “Ours”, which I love because it means the same in Rwanda as it does in Namibia. It reflects our belief that we, as Africans, should define ourselves. We must own the narrative of what leadership means to us, because how we’re defined often determines how we are treated. The goal is to identify young Africans from across the continent and equip them with a curriculum centered on pragmatic leadership — whether they are in media, politics, business, or other sectors. It’s about helping them navigate the complex, competing interests that come with leadership roles. We’ve already signed an MoU with the Ministry of Youth and Arts and are collaborating with other young African changemakers. We’re hoping to launch it around September this year. What are your impressions of Kigali — the city, its people, and your overall experience during this visit? Being Namibian, I find many touch points with Kigali. It’s neat, orderly, structured — things work. It’s well-governed with strong leadership, and I could easily be describing my own country. Many of the things I see here, I recognize and admire. It reinforces the need to challenge the narrative that smaller countries are easier to govern. I don’t agree with that. What you need is strong leadership across all levels — and Rwanda exemplifies that. The kind of pragmatic leadership seen at the top is visible everywhere, even in everyday interactions — from restaurant managers to service staff. The food is also incredible! Of course, every place has its own quirks. I’m sure if you visited Windhoek, you'd find things that might seem unusual, but to us they’re normal. Likewise, when I come to Kigali and see how people stop exactly where they’re supposed to at intersections, I’m amazed — but for you, that’s just everyday life. To me, Kigali is a charming, well-run city that I genuinely enjoy being in. I always ask myself when I land somewhere new on the continent: Would I be able to live here? And the one thing that struck me on this trip is — Kigali is truly a livable city. Aside from Namibia and Rwanda, do you have a favorite place in Africa? I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me that — I’m not going to tell you. But of course, Windhoek is number one. And beyond that, I have a few others I really like — Nairobi, Lusaka, and Dakar among them. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations in education, leadership, and advocacy? Are there new areas or initiatives you’re passionate about pursuing? I think the values I see around education — and the ones modeled by Kepler — are about being pragmatic and meeting students where they are. You're not going to get perfect students. There will be gaps, and as educators, it's our role to fill those gaps so we can produce graduates who are ready to be either employers or employees. Youth unemployment across the continent is a serious challenge. Part of addressing that lies in aligning the skills we’re developing with what’s actually needed — not just for a productive African workforce, but globally. If it's true that by 2050, one in four members of the global workforce will be African, we have a lot of work to do to prepare our people to take that place. For me, education must be accessible. And Kepler reflects that — they’re working on expanding access through online courses across the continent. It also has to be affordable, scalable, and competency-based. Those are the values I hold dear, whether at Kepler or any other institution of higher learning. Outside of your work in youth development and advocacy, what else do you focus on post-office? I don’t really know how to answer that — I don’t have much of a social life. All I do is work, and the core of that work is focused on the development of young people. I also do a lot of advocacy on issues close to my heart, like the economic empowerment of women and reproductive health. I’m still the chairperson of a private equity fund that I co-founded, so that keeps me a little busy too. Before I became First Lady, I was very much in the private sector. After leaving office, I had to ask myself: do I go back? It’s a lucrative space. But the truth is, once you see certain things, you can’t unsee them. I often tell young people — more of us need to work in the public sector. That’s where the most complex problems affecting us all are being addressed. And if that’s true, then our best minds should be helping solve those problems. I can’t, in good conscience, return to the private sector and only focus on building my personal balance sheet when I know that, as a continent, we have liabilities we need to address. More of us need to be working on strengthening that part of Africa’s collective future. What’s your message to young people in Rwanda, Namibia, and across the continent? Nothing is permanent. No matter what you're going through — whether it's related to your mental health, your country, or concerns about leadership — take it one day at a time. There’s always a solution, and nothing stays the same forever. It does get better. I know many young people feel overwhelmed by personal circumstances — the pressure to find a job, to succeed, to make ends meet. But in the middle of all that frustration, my message is: don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings or ill-informed choices that could compromise your future. Just focus on surviving today. Tomorrow will come with new opportunities.

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Former Namibia First Lady Geingos on leadership, youth empowerment, and her work in Rwanda