Monica Geingos

Monica Geingos is a qualified lawyer. She served on the Boards of large public and private sector companies as either Chairperson or Deputy Chair and played a meaningful role in private sector development, including the rollout of Namibia’s first digitally enabled Commercial Bank, of which she was a founding shareholder and founding Chairperson. She received numerous merit awards, and is ranked by an international publication as one of “Africa’s top 100 Economic Leaders.” Due to her extensive corporate experience, she was an influential member of high-level policy advisory Boards such as the Public Office Bearer’s Commission (Vice-Chair), the President’s Economic Advisory Council, the governing Party’s Think Tank, and the National Council of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

She implements her programs through the One Economy Foundation, focusing on public health, youth empowerment, education, entrepreneurial development, mental health, and Gender-Based Violence. This includes the successful youth program, the #BeFree movement. Project #BeFree is a one-stop youth centre of excellence where young people co-create sustainable interventions that respond to youth needs by strengthening the resilience and decision-making capacity of adolescents and young adults.

#ProjectBeFree will provide a continuum of holistic services, including life skills courses, psychosocial support, the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health clinical services, entrepreneurial development, 4IR skills development and adolescent-friendly edutainment focused on character development.

Mrs Geingos is currently the Patron of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia. She serves on the Boards of Africa Reach (Chairperson), the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre, the Concordia Leadership Council, WomenLift Health and Virchow Foundation. She recently became a co-chair on the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemic. She is a Co-Patron of the PLO Lumumba Foundation Africa Mentorship Programme.

Mrs Geingos’ work as First Lady was recognised through her recent election as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies. She is a UNAIDS Special Advocate for Adolescent Girls and Young Women and was awarded the Berlin-based “World Without Aids Award.” She is also the recipient of “Concordia Leadership Award” for global leadership, the Global Leadership of Women Award from Howard University, the “Change the World Award from the Professional Speakers Association,” and a leadership awardee of the Pan African Women’s Organisation. In addition, Mrs Geingos is recognised as one of the “100 Most Reputable Africans,” one of the “100 Most Influential African Women.”