Honorary Doctorate
UJ RECOGNISES MONICA GEINGOS’ TRANSFORMATIVE ADVOCACY WITH HONORARY DOCTORATE
It was a bittersweet moment for Her Excellency Monica Geingos to receive an honorary doctorate from UJ on Monday, 16 March 2026. It was the wish of her late husband, President Hage Geingob, to become her PhD supervisor once they were no longer in office. However, that did not happen. “It’s not just the weight of expectation that UJ puts on me to continue what I’m doing, but it’s also something deeply personal. It is a reminder for me, from him, that I’ve got work to do. That I’ve done work that matters. That’s why it’s being recognised. But I still have lots of work to do. The journey continues.” H.E. Geingos has spent over two decades working in Namibia’s financial and investment sectors. She served as Namibia’s First Lady from 2015 until her husband, the late
President Hage Geingob’s passing in 2024. She is the founder of the One Economy Foundation and the #BeFree Movement Project, focusing on youth sexual health and HIV/AIDS awareness. Her focus on the youth is deliberate. In the next 20 years, one in four of the global population will be African. “That doesn’t mean that one in four of the global population will have one in four Africans in the workplace. We’re not translating that into workforce. For too long we have looked at young Africans either as a source of labour or as a source of conflict and risk, and we need to actually just start seeing that incredible potential that young Africans represent. So that’s why I dedicate all of my time to the development of young Africans. It’s not just a Namibian problem; it’s an African problem. It’s a global issue.” During her tenure as First Lady, she redefined the role by integrating her expertise in economics and governance into a comprehensive advocacy programme focused on social development. Through this, she has confronted youth vulnerability, HIV stigma and structural inequality with bold, evidence-driven interventions. As a lawyer, an entrepreneur and an advocate, she has moved between different sectors throughout her career. These experiences have shaped the way she approaches leadership and social change. “It has been consequential. There are three things all of the jobs that I’ve done have taught me – grow a thick skin, manage risk and conflict, and also be able to figure it out quickly by relying on the data, and the evidence. Not on how you feel about something.” She encouraged young women, especially Black African women, to learn to take the punches and to know when to throw them. Her work earned her international recognition and influence within the global health space. In 2016, she was appointed UNAIDS Special Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls. From June 2022 to February 2024, she served as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), where she played a pivotal role in advancing health and gender equity on the continent. Her message to graduates is to embrace critical thinking in this rapidly changing world. “The critical skills needed for the future for all graduates are the ability to package, internalise, work and process information quickly.” During her conferral, H.E. Geingos said the honorary doctorate was a call to continue her purpose and a challenge to remain worthy of the confidence that the University had placed in her.
Her Excellency Ms Monica Geingos receiving her Honorary Doctorate
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