It was a bittersweet moment for Her Excellency Monica Geingos to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Monday, 16 March 2026. It was the wish of her late husband, President Hage Geingob, to become her PhD supervisor once they were no longer in office. However, that did not happen.

“It’s not just the weight of expectation that UJ puts on me to continue what I’m doing, but it’s also something deeply personal. It is a reminder for me, from him, that I’ve got work to do. That I’ve done work that matters. That’s why it’s being recognised.  But I still have lots of work to do. The journey continues.”

 H.E. Geingos has spent over two decades working in Namibia’s financial and investment sectors. She served as Namibia’s First Lady from 2015 until her husband, the late President Hage Geingob’s passing in 2024. She is the founder of the One Economy Foundation and the #BeFree Movement Project, focused on youth sexual health and HIV/AIDS awareness. Her focus on the youth is deliberate. In the next 20 years, one in four of the global population will be African.

“That doesn’t mean that one in four of the global population will have one in four Africans in the workplace. We’re not translating that into workforce. For too long we have looked at young Africans either as a source of labour or as a source of conflict and risk, and we need to actually just start seeing that incredible potential that young Africans represent. So that’s why I dedicate all of my time to the development of young Africans. It’s not just a Namibian problem, it’s an African problem. It’s a global issue.”

During her tenure as First Lady, she redefined the role by integrating her expertise in economics and governance into a comprehensive advocacy programme focused on social development. Through this, she has confronted youth vulnerability, HIV stigma and structural inequality with bold, evidence-driven interventions.

As a lawyer, an entrepreneur and an advocate, she has moved between different sectors throughout her career. These experiences have shaped the way she approaches leadership and social change.

“It has been consequential. There are three things all of the jobs that I’ve done have taught me – grow a thick skin, manage risk and conflict, and also be able to figure it out quickly by relying on the data, and the evidence. Not on how you feel about something.”

She encouraged young women, especially Black African women, to learn to take the punches and to know when to throw them.

Her work earned her international recognition and influence within the global health space. In 2016, she was appointed UNAIDS Special Advocate for Young Women and Adolescent Girls. From June 2022 to February 2024, she served as President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), where she played a pivotal role in advancing health and gender equity on the continent.

Her message to graduates is to embrace critical thinking in this rapidly changing world.

“The critical skills needed for the future for all graduates are the ability to package, internalise, work and process information quickly.”

During her conferral, H.E. Geingos said the honorary doctorate was a call to continue her purpose and a challenge to remain worthy of the confidence that the University had placed in her.

“This honorary doctorate really means more to me than you can predict. It feels like confirmation that he (Hage) was right when he told me to focus on what matters, and it feels like a nudge from my husband to fulfil my promise to him that I will work towards my PhD.”

She accepted the honour on behalf of every young person who is part of the #BeFreeMovement, the mothers and fathers who have lost children to preventable conditions and on behalf of her late husband whose journey with cancer taught her profound lessons of health, dignity and the systems built to protect one another.

UJ Chancellor Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka closed the ceremony by thanking the former First Lady for the work she continues to do not only in Namibia but on the African continent.

“Even before you were First Lady, you were concerned about the needs of the people of Namibia and the continent. We are excited that you are continuing in that service and that the work is targeting young people. We congratulate you and celebrate you.”

This year, the University’s 2026 graduation series, marks the institution’s 21st anniversary. Over 13,000 graduates will cross the stage this season, joined by global and national leaders recognised for their transformative leadership and impactful contributions to society.

“Honorary doctorates represent lives anchored in integrity, courage and sustained excellence. As our graduates enter new chapters of professional and civic life, they do so in the presence of individuals who demonstrate what can be achieved when education is matched with purpose. This graduation season is not merely a celebration of qualifications conferred. It is a powerful affirmation of knowledge in action and of the role universities play in shaping nations and advancing our continent,” said Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UJ.