Nangula Uaandja, CEO & Chairperson of Namibia Investment Promotion & Development Board (NIPDB) & Namibia Commissioner General - Dubai Expo 2020

Nangula, a Chartered Accountant by profession is the Executive Chairperson and CEO of the newly established Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board. The Board, a Public Entity in the Presidency is tasked with the mandate of promoting and facilitating foreign and domestic investments as well as promoting the development of SMEs.

Until December 2020, Nangula served as Country Senior Partner at PwC Namibia, with over 20 years experience in auditing, and has served as lead partner on audits of organizations across various sectors and industries. She has also overseen a number of consulting and forensic related engagements.

Nangula was named Namibia’s Businesswoman of the year in 2011. Besides playing a role on the Accounting/Auditing Professional Bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Public Accountants and Auditors Board, she also served as a member of the Tax Court Appeal and was appointed as a member of the first Public Office Bearers’ Remuneration and Benefits Committee by the President of the Republic of Namibia from 2006 to 2009.

There are many firsts in Nangula’s life – she was the first black female Namibian to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and the first female and first black Namibian to occupy the position of PwC Managing Partner as well as that of President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia.

Over the years Nangula has grown a burden concerning the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty that are facing Namibia. It is this burden that led her to pursue further studies (first the Master in Business Leadership and now Doctor in Business Leadership) with a focus on the collaborative role required between the public and private sectors to drive inclusive economic growth and find common solutions to these challenges. It is also this burden that led to her resignation as the Head of PwC Namibia earlier this year and later accepting the President’s appointment to the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board