Ally Shaningwa Inedhimbwa Angula, simply referred to as Ally Angula (born 1979), is a Namibian accountant, business executive, and politician. Angula campaigned to run as an independent presidential candidate in the

2024 Namibian general election General elections were held in Namibia to elect a new president and members of the National Assembly. Initially scheduled on 27 November 2024, these were later extended in some areas to 30 November due to poor planning. Opposition parties decri ...

, which took place in November 2024. In October 2024, her bid was rejected by the

Electoral Commission of Namibia The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is an agency of the government of Namibia. It was founded in 1992 under the Electoral Act 24 of 1992. The aim of the commission is to oversee all Namibian electoral activities starting from voter registra ...

when she failed to secure enough supporters to justify her candidacy. Angula is a Chartered Accountant with extensive background in accounting and business management in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. She is the co-founder and managing director of Leap Holdings, a Namibian holding company with subsidiaries in commercial farming, garment manufacturing, and retail. She is also the principal founder of The CFO Namibia, a Chartered Accountancy and Financial Advisory firm she founded in 2019. Prior to this, between 2006 and 2013, Angula was a partner at

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

Namibia. Angula also served as Deputy Executive Director of the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

between December 2018 and August 2019.

Education

Angula pursued her higher education at the

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting in 2001. She also has a bachelor's degree in commerce from

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu- ...

Career

Angula has had a rich career in accounting and finance. In 2005, Angula joined

Namibia, she started serving as an audit manager and was raised to

Partner, where she was heading Financial Services and Energy and Natural Resources in

from 2007 to 2013. Between 2006 and 2007, Angula was also among the senior partners of Swart Grant Angula, a Namibian accounting firm. In May 2017, Angula was appointed by the Minister of Mines and Energy to advise the boards of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor). In the end of 2018, Angula was appointed as the Deputy Executive Director at the

, where she played a significant role in reforming financial reporting. She resigned in August 2019, reportedly due to clashes with older officials who opposed her reforms. In 2018, Angula was also appointed as a Committee Chairperson of the Namibia Public Private Partnership Committee at the

Business career

Leap Holdings

Angula is the CEO of Leap Holdings, a Namibian integrated group of companies, she co-founded with her husband in 2013. The group is involved in commercial farming, garment manufacturing, and retail, with operating subsidiary companies including Leap Agribusiness Ltd., Leap Manufacturing Namibia Ltd., and Leap Retail Ltd. Under her leadership, Leap Holdings operates My Republik, Namibia's commercial clothing brand, which earned Angula the 'Best Woman-Owned Business' award at the

Global Entrepreneurship Summit The Global Entrepreneurship Summit is an annual event organized by the federal government of the United States, in partnership with foreign government hosts. The summit originated from an event organized by the Obama Administration called the P ...

(GES) in 2015. Leap Holdings has expanded its agricultural operations, installed advanced irrigation systems, and explored new ventures such as growing bamboo in

. My Republik's collaboration with the makers of the film "

Katutura Katutura (Otjiherero for ''We do not settle'') is a township of Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. Katutura was created in 1961 following the forced removal of Windhoek's black population from the Old Location, which afterwards was developed int ...

" showcased a unique synergy between fashion and film, highlighting Angula's commitment to promoting Namibian creativity and industry. Through her leadership, Angula has cemented her position as a key figure in Namibia's entrepreneurial landscape, continuously advocating for local innovation and industry growth.

Additional career

Angula has served on various boards, including Oryx Properties Limited (Vice Chairperson), Pupkewitz Holdings, and Nabo Holdings. She has chaired the Audit and Risk Committees of the

Bank of Namibia The Bank of Namibia (BoN) is the central bank of Namibia, whose establishment is enshrined in Article 128 of the Namibian Constitution. It is located in the capital city of Windhoek. The Bank of Namibia was established in 1990 by the ''Bank of Na ...

, Rössing Uranium Limited, and Oryx Properties.

Presidential candidacy

Angula launched her manifesto as an independent presidential candidate on May 1, 2024. As the founder of the “A Better Life” movement, Angula champions the dignity of Namibians, aiming to address societal challenges from a political platform. Her manifesto focuses on economic transformation, job creation, youth empowerment, and improving healthcare and education in

. Her candidacy was supported by the United People's Movement (UPM) and the National Empowerment Fighting Corruption (NEFC) party. The alliance was formally signed by UPM president

Jan van Wyk Jan Johannes van Wyk (born 17 October 1969) is a Namibian politician who has served as a Member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 2015, first as a representative for the United People's Movement (UPM) and later for the Popular Democratic ...

and NEFC president Kenneth Lilonga. In October 2024, the Electoral Commission of Namibia rejected her bid for candidacy when she failed to secure the required 500 supporting signatures per electoral region.

Recognitions

* 2013: A Desmond Tutu Fellowship Programme Associate. * 2015: Selected to attend the

hosted by US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in Kenya. * 2015: 'Best Woman-Owned Business' award at the

GES 2015. * 2015: First Namibian to join the Forum of

Young Global Leaders Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), is a non-profit organization. The organization was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum and is managed from Geneva, Switzerland, under the supervision of the Sw ...

by the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

Social impact

Angula is an activist. In 2024, she participated in protests with people of

to highlight socio-economic issues and demonstrate her commitment to addressing the concerns of ordinary Namibians. In addition to the protests in

, Angula has participated in demonstrations in other areas of

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

, including the central business district and the vicinity of government offices. These locations were chosen to maximize visibility and impact on key decision-makers.

Personal life

Angula has two children, and she is a niece to former prime minister

Nahas Angula Nahas Gideon Angula (born 22 August 1943)Profile on Namibian parliamen ...

References

External links

Ally Angula Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angula, Ally 1979 births Living people University of Namibia alumni Namibian accountants