The Ministry of International Relations and Trade is a department of the Namibian government. It was established as Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Namibian independence in 1990. The first Namibian foreign minister was Theo-Ben Gurirab. The current[update] minister is Selma Ashipala-Musavyi.

Names and portfolios

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as it was named since independence, was renamed Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation at the start of the 2015–2020 legislative period. In 2025 the Ministry of Trade and Industry was dissolved, and the trade portfolio was given to the foreign ministry, resulting in its current[update] name.

Ministers

All foreign ministers in chronological order are:

#PictureName(Birth–Death)PartyTerm startTerm end
Minister of Foreign Affairs
01Theo-Ben Gurirab1938–2018SWAPO19902002
02Hidipo Hamutenya1939–2016SWAPO20022004
03Marco Hausiku1953–2021SWAPO20042010
04Utoni Nujoma1952–SWAPO20102012
05Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah1954–SWAPO20122015
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
0Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah1954–SWAPO20152024
06Peya Mushelenga1975–SWAPO20242025
Minister of International Relations and Trade
07Selma Ashipala-Musavyi1960–SWAPO2025