A rarity on the continent, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is due to be sworn in as president of Namibia on Friday, a first in the southern African country's young history, after her victory in the chaotic elections at the end of November was upheld in court.

The 72-year-old, who is from the ruling party, is due to take the oath of office in the capital, Windhoek, at a ceremony that will be attended by the heads of state of neighbouring Angola and South Africa, among others.

At the helm of this uranium-rich desert country since its independence in 1990, his party, Swapo, continued its reign following confused elections, which lasted all night in total confusion and then officially for two additional days in a few selected polling stations.

The rejection of the opposition's appeal last month allows Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to follow in the footsteps of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was elected president of Liberia in 2006, a first on the continent.

The foreign policy of this activist, who was exiled in Moscow during the liberation struggle, when apartheid South Africa occupied the country, will be particularly scrutinized.

As foreign minister, "NNN," as she is nicknamed, had touted the "historically good relations" with North Korea, a rare comment on the international diplomatic scene.

- Green hydrogen and the Orange basin -

Another challenge of her term: green hydrogen. Namibia's immense solar and wind energy potential makes it an El Dorado in this area. However, the new president has expressed doubts about the sector, according to press reports.

At the same time, ongoing exploration missions in the Orange River Basin (southwest) are multiplying the discoveries of gas and oil deposits. They represent a hope of boosting last year's 3.5% growth, largely leaving young people behind, hit by massive unemployment: 44% of 18-34 year-olds in 2023.

The leader of the historic ruling party reiterated her campaign promise to "create at least 500,000 jobs" in the "next five years" this week in an interview with South African broadcaster SABC.

This colossal objective, relative to the three million inhabitants, must be achieved by an investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars (4.3 billion euros) in several sectors identified as agriculture, fishing or the creative and sports industries.

"They don't mention where this sum would come from," Henning Melber, a researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, told AFP, stressing that the annual budget of 100 billion "already lacks funds for social services, infrastructure, health and education."

Appointed this month as party president by acclamation "with the aim of strengthening it," according to Henning Melber, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is "in short, a woman holding all the powers within the party and the state."

Her position as vice-president of SWAPO has been left vacant, and it "also seems possible that the position of vice-president of the country will be abandoned," adds Henning Melber. The latter was recently created by former President Hage Geingob, who died a year ago, and was succeeded by his vice-president, Nangolo Mbumba.