Selma Ashipala-Musavyi (born 16 June 1960) is a

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 ...

n diplomat who is serving as the minister of international relations and trade as well as a member of the

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of cl ...

since 21 March 2025 as a member of the SWAPO Party.

Early life and education

Selma Ashipala-Musavyi was born on 16 June 1960 in the coastal town of

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay (; ; ) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the List of cities in Namibia, second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of of land. The bay is a ...

Erongo Region Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as ...

. She acquired a master's degree in diplomatic studies from

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

Career

In March 2020, she was appointed as a higher commissioner to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, the position that she held until her subsequent appointment as a minister on 21 March 2025. Ashipala-Musavyi retired from public service in 2020 after joining the ministry of foreign affairs in 1990 as deputy director. The highlight of her public service was her appointment in June 2013 as the first woman to be appointed then as permanent secretary in the foreign affairs ministry. In her role as permanent secretary, she chaired high-level meetings at SADC and SADC Organ on politics, defence, and security. She also served as the chair of the board of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

secretary general advisory board on disarmament. She held several ambassadorial roles, including ambassador to Austria and higher commissioner to Nigeria, among other roles.

References

Government ministers of Namibia Living people 1960 births Women government ministers of Namibia 21st-century Namibian women politicians 21st-century Namibian politicians SWAPO politicians Women members of the National Assembly (Namibia) Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) Alumni of Keele University Ministers of foreign affairs of Namibia Female foreign ministers {{Namibia-bio-stub