Namibia in the race for Interpol presidency
Deputy Police Commissioner Anne-Marie Nainda is running for the Interpol presidency. She is the only female candidate and enjoys the support of many colleagues and Namibian politicians.
Major General Anne-Marie Nainda, Interpol’s current Executive Committee representative for Africa and the Deputy Inspector General of the Namibian Police (Nampol), will stand for the Interpol presidency on 27 November in Marrakesh, Morocco.She will contest the position against Ethiopia’s Inspector General and Head of the Ethiopian Federal Police, Demelash Gebremicheal Weldeyes; France’s Inspector General and European and International Affairs Adviser to the Director General of the French National Police, Lucas Philippe; and Mustafa Serkan Sabanca, Chief Superintendent of the First Grade and Head of both the Interpol–Europol Department and the Interpol National Central Bureau of Turkey.
Early last week, Nampol Inspector General Joseph Shikongo, the Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Iipumbu, and the Minister of International Affairs and Trade, Ambassador Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, hosted members of the local diplomatic corps at Nampol headquarters in Windhoek to rally support for Nainda’s candidacy.
Shikongo described the gathering as an occasion of great national significance, aimed at promoting Namibia’s bid for the prestigious Interpol presidency. He said Nainda’s candidacy represents more than individual achievement: “It symbolises Namibia’s commitment to global security cooperation, international policing excellence, and multilateral collaboration.”
Cross-border security challenges
He emphasised the world’s growing cross-border security challenges, including cybercrime, human trafficking, terrorism, environmental crimes and emerging transnational syndicates, and highlighted the urgent need for strong, forward-thinking leadership in global policing. Through Nainda, he said, Namibia is offering “a leader able to promote innovation, inclusivity and collaborative security within the global community.”
According to Shikongo, “Major General Nainda embodies the values for which Interpol stands: professionalism, integrity, gender representation, African solidarity and international partnership.”
Encouraged by Iipumbu, Nainda used her remarks to reaffirm Namibia’s longstanding contribution to Interpol: “We have been contributing to Interpol for more than thirty years, and we have the skills, the leadership exposure and what is needed to take Interpol further.”
Nainda stressed the importance of preserving Interpol’s neutrality in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment: “We are conscious that Interpol’s neutrality must be protected and maintained at all costs.”
While acknowledging the strengths of her opponents, she expressed confidence in her own capability: “I can provide extraordinary leadership due to my exposure and the competitive advantage I bring.” She added that Namibia would ensure Interpol is managed in a transparent, inclusive and accountable manner.
Ashipala-Musavyi highlighted Namibia’s role in advancing women’s participation in global safety and security sectors, noting that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah publicly endorsed Nainda’s candidacy last month. Nainda is the only female candidate in the race.
She said Nainda already enjoys strong backing from Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states and from the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO), but support from beyond the region remains essential.