The Honourable Emma Inamutila Theofelus is a lawyer, Member of Parliament, and the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology in the Republic of Namibia. During her time in Parliament, she has made active strides toward improving the lives of women and girls. Most notably, in 2021, she successfully moved a motion in Parliament to remove tax on all sanitary products in Namibia, which is currently under implementation.
In addition, she is focused on better communicating the activities and programs of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, creating a more digitally literate nation, increasing access to the internet among Namibians, and assisting in preparing the Namibian nation for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Born and bred in Windhoek, Namibia, Ms. Theofelus holds an LLB Honours Degree from the University of Namibia, where she also served as Secretary General of the Student Union in her final year of study. In addition, she has a diploma in Business Management from Amity University and a diploma in African Feminism and Gender Studies from the University of South Africa. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in ICT Policy and Regulation at the University of Witwatersrand.
Ms. Theofelus was the 2022 Laureate in the Individual Category of the United Nations Population Award and serves as a board member of the Leadership Council of Africa REACH.
She has also been recognized as one the most influential African women in the world by several reputable outlets such as the BBC, Avance Media, New Africa, and the African Leadership Magazine.
In addition, Ms. Theofelus was nominated for the One Young World Politician of the Year Award in both 2020 and 2021.