Draft:Daisry
Daisry Ndeshihala Obal | |
|---|---|
 Daisry Ndeshihala Obal | |
| Born | Daisry Ndeshihala Mathias December 15, 1985 |
| Other names | Daisry Dumeni; Daisry Mathias |
| Occupation | Public policy advisor |
| Known for | Presidential Advisor on Youth Matters and Enterprise Development; founder of the Oyayone Foundation |
Daisry Ndeshihala Obal (née Mathias; born 15 December 1985) is a Namibian public policy advisor. She has served as a presidential advisor on youth matters in Namibia since 2015.[1][2] She has also served as a Commissioner of the National Planning Commission.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Obal was born Daisry Ndeshihala Mathias on 15 December 1985 at Oniipa near Ondangwa, to Kristi Elma Tuwilika Dumeni and Arthur Emmanuel Mathias.[4]
A 2013 staff profile published in the Namibia Business Journal stated that she held a Diploma in Integrated Marketing Communications, with a specialisation in Brand Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration.[5]
Career
[edit]Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
[edit]Obal joined the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) as Marketing and Public Relations Manager on 1 July 2013. She subsequently served as editor of the NCCI's Namibia Business Journal.[5]
Team Namibia
[edit]Under the name Daisry Dumeni, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Team Namibia effective 1 July 2014, succeeding Lizette Foot.[6]
She later left Team Namibia to take up a presidential advisory position in 2015.[7]
Presidential advisor
[edit]In June 2015, President Hage Geingob appointed Mathias as Presidential Advisor on Youth Matters as part of an advisory team announced that month.[1][7]
A 2022 profile in Namibian Sun described her work as including policy advice, speechwriting and liaison functions within government.[8]
The Office of the President lists her as Presidential Advisor on Youth Matters and Enterprise Development.[2]
National Planning Commission
[edit]In May 2017, President Geingob appointed Mathias as one of 17 commissioners of Namibia's National Planning Commission for a three-year term.[3]
Oyayone Foundation
[edit]The Office of the President identifies Obal as the founder of the Oyayone Foundation, a non-profit organisation working with underprivileged mothers in Namibia.[2]
Recognition and public engagements
[edit]In 2019, Obal, then known as Daisry Mathias, was selected for the Obama Foundation's Leaders: Africa programme.[9]
She participated in the Old Mutual Foundation Indaba in 2023, which addressed youth unemployment in Namibia.[10]
She also appeared at the 2023 launch of a mentorship programme reported by Africa-Press Namibia.[11]
Obal was interviewed on the Glocal Citizens podcast in 2022 about her policy work and the Oyayone Foundation.[12] She appeared again in a retrospective episode of the podcast in 2025.[13]
She has written opinion articles on public policy and economic issues for The Namibian.[14]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Geingob unveils his A-Team". Namibian Sun. 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- 1 2 3 "Presidential Advisors". Office of the President of the Republic of Namibia. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- 1 2 "New Planning Commissioners appointed". New Era. 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Mistress of her own destiny". Namibian Sun. 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- 1 2 "NBJ Business Journal, Aug-Sept 2013" (PDF). Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Dumeni appointed Team Namibia CEO". The Namibian. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- 1 2 "Meet the President's advisor on youth matters". New Era. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Mathias serves as the presidential youth advisor". Namibian Sun. 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Leader Daisry Mathias from 2019 Leaders Africa". Obama Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Empowering Namibia's Youth: Old Mutual Foundation's Indaba Tackles Unemployment Head-On". Namibia Daily News. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Sisedi launches mentorship programme and unit trust fund". Africa-Press Namibia. 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Episode 134: Toward Unity of Purpose with Daisry Mathias". Glocal Citizens. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Episode 265: Showing and Telling Herstory with Yaliwe Clarke, Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, Daisry Obal, Tiambi Simms and Aissata Sidibé N'dia". Glocal Citizens. 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "Trade storms open door for Africa's soya". The Namibian. 2025-10-29. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Namibian women in politics Category:People from Oshana Region