Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun

For the singer Martha Namundjebo, see Lady May (Namibian singer).

Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun is a Namibian businesswoman and politician. She is the former president of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI).

Early life and education

Martha Namundjebo was born in Odibo village in the north of Namibia. She was raised in Olunghono and went to Engela High School. She obtained a BSc degree in Business Administration and Management from Saint Paul's College Lawrenceville, Virginia. Namundjebo further holds an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States, and another MBA from Santa Clara University, likewise in California.[1][2]

Career

After the retirement of Harold Pupkewitz, Namundjebo-Tilahun succeeded him as president of Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) in 2010. She held this position until 2014 when Sven Thieme was elected.[3] Namundjebo-Tilahun is also the chairperson of the SADC Chamber of Commerce and sits on the board of several Namibian companies, including Standard Bank Namibia. She owns Namibia's only Five-Star hotel, the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek.[1] In 2021, documents forming part of the Congo Hold-Up revealed financial links between a Namibian fishing company owned by Namundjebo-Tilahun and alleged illicit funds of former DRC president Joseph Kabila.[4][5]

In 2017 she was a candidate for the position of deputy secretary general of the Swapo Party.[citation needed] She also had a short stint in Parliament from January to March 2020.[2][6]

Private life

Her husband Haddis Tilahun, is the founder and executive director of the United Africa Group, the company where she serves as chairperson. They have three children.

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun - Chairperson". United Africa Group. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Namundjebo-Tilahun, Martha". Government of Namibia. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  3. ^ "NCCI elects new leadership". The Namibian. 1 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Document leak shows Kabila family, associates looted DRC funds". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  5. ^ Namibian, The. "DRC's lost billions traced to Namibia". The Namibian. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  6. ^ Matthys, Donald (6 January 2020). "SWAPO appoints new members to parliament". Namibia Economist.
  7. ^ "Namundjebo-Tilahun honoured in U.S." New Era. 6 March 2014.
  8. ^ Nakale, Albertina (16 November 2015). "PM awarded honorary doctorate by Unam". New Era. p. 5.