However, achieving gender diversity at the leadership level requires more than just filling quotas— it necessitates building a strong pipeline of female talent. This starts early. Young women in high school and even younger need to be able to envision themselves in these roles so representation and mentorship needs to play a more prominent role in this process. Female leaders can offer guidance, support and inspiration to hopeful and young professionals, alike. They can provide a tangible example of what is possible in the path to leadership in industries where women have been underrepresented.
 
At the Bank of Namibia, several focused interventions have been to nurture future female leaders. These include bursary, internships and graduate accelerated programmes aimed at ensuring that young girls are not left behind. The Bank also hosts a biennial High School Competition to encourage young female learners to take an interest in and pursue further studies in specifically non-administrative roles within the financial and central banking sectors. Over the past strategic period, the Bank has extended this opportunity to more tech-related jobs such as robotics and machine learning. Additionally, the annual Tertiary Institutions Debating Challenge requires female representation on all teams, inspiring young women to actively participate in economic discourse.
Namibia, like other emerging economies, is a shining example of what can be achieved when gender balance is prioritised. The country has made great progress in promoting women to senior roles, ranking 2nd in Africa and 10th globally on the 2024 Gender Balance Index, as published by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF). This success is largely attributed to the appointment of women like Ms. Leonie Dunn as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Namibia, and a senior management team where women hold 54% of leadership positions at the central bank — up from 33% only 10 years ago in 2014. This parity is also reflected organisationally, where women constitute 56% of our workforce.

This progress is not confined to the central bank. In the broader financial sector, women lead four (4) out of the seven (7) commercial banks, comprising Bank Windhoek, Letshego Bank, Nedbank Namibia and Banco Atlantico. These women are as much leaders, in their own right, as they are also trailblazers for the future generations of female professionals. Their success stories challenge traditional norms and demonstrate that women competent and highly capable to perform at the highest level. Moreover, Namibia also ranked 1st in Africa and 8th globally in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2024 index, further setting a powerful example for other nations and industries.
 
Mentorship is the thread that ties these achievements together, ensuring that the next generation of women professionals is well-prepared to step into leadership roles. When we empower young women with the tools, support, and confidence they need to succeed, mentorship creates a ripple effect, enabling more women to reach their full potential.