Patience Makwele
Young Namibians have been urged to become custodians of late President Hage Geingob’s governance legacy by strengthening institutions, defending constitutional values and demanding accountable leadership rather than simply remembering his achievements.
The call emerged during the inaugural Dr Hage Geingob Town Hall Conversation at the University of Namibia on Monday, where speakers said Geingob’s greatest legacy would ultimately depend on whether future generations continue building the democratic systems he championed.
Held under the theme “The unique contributions of President Hage G. Geingob to governance in Africa: Mediating effective governance through the Namibian example,” the discussion brought together former leaders, academics, students, diplomats, civil society representatives and young professionals.
Chairperson of the Dr Hage Geingob Presidential Centre, Professor Peter Katjavivi, said the newly established centre aims to preserve Geingob’s ideas through research, documentation and public dialogue that will inspire future generations.
Katjavivi said Namibia had not done enough to document its nation-building journey and challenged young people to help preserve that history.
“We have not done that well. And that is documenting, writing and documenting how we traversed through the various stages of nation building,” he said.
He said the Presidential Centre would preserve Geingob’s legacy while encouraging research, leadership development and conversations on governance across Namibia and the continent.
Oxford University doctoral researcher Beth Tobias told the gathering that Geingob’s greatest contribution was his commitment to building institutions capable of outliving individual leaders.
Drawing on Geingob’s doctoral research and leadership philosophy, Tobias said leadership should not be measured only by dramatic decisions or public recognition.
“Leadership is not always a series of heroic acts,” she said.
Instead, she said, effective leadership often requires making difficult decisions that strengthen institutions even when that work receives little public recognition.
Tobias described Namibia’s peaceful transfer of power following Geingob’s death as one of the clearest examples of the institutional foundations he helped build.
“His greatest legacy is the fact that we had a peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
Responding to a question from the audience on what other African countries could learn from Namibia’s governance model, Tobias said the country’s greatest lesson lies in institution-building.
“I think the thankless work behind the scenes, when the cameras are gone, the building of the systems, the institutions and the processes – I really think that was Dr Geingob’s talent,” she said.
Former minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana said constitutionalism remained the governance principle that best defined Geingob, crediting him with leading the committee that drafted Namibia’s Constitution.
“The governance principle of Dr Hage Geingob is constitutionalism. Things must be done within the law,” she said.
Former minister and bishop Zephania Kameeta urged young Namibians to ensure that Geingob’s vision of “One Namibia, One Nation” becomes a lived reality rather than a political slogan.
“It should not be only a slogan, ‘One Namibia, One Nation’, but it should be seen in the way we work, live and talk to each other,” Kameeta said.
Several students and young professionals used the question-and-answer session to engage panelists on constitutional reform, governance, accountability and the role of young leaders in shaping Namibia’s democratic future.
Among the questions raised were how young leaders should carry forward Geingob’s unfinished work, how Namibia’s governance model could strengthen accountability across Africa, and how the Presidential Centre would ensure his ideas remain relevant to future generations.
As the discussion concluded, speakers agreed that Geingob’s legacy would not be measured by monuments or memorial events, but by whether young Namibians continue strengthening democratic institutions, protecting the Constitution and improving the lives of citizens.
For the next generation, they said, the greatest tribute to Geingob will not be remembering his legacy—it will be building on it.
