Conventional leadership models are insufficient to address modern concerns regarding the institutional transformation of Namibia’s public institutions of higher education. Africa, especially Namibia, aims to utilize the transformational potential of education but encounters obstacles due to a lack of leadership and resources. The main objective of this article is to explore the challenges of institutional transformation at public institutions of higher education and the appropriateness of transformational leadership to drive successful and sustainable institutional transformation within Namibian public higher education institutions. The study employed a mixed-method approach, incorporating descriptive design and theme analysis. The data for the article was gathered via online surveys and semi-structured interviews with management from Namibian public universities. ATLAS.ti aided the thematic analysis, while descriptive statistics was employed for quantitative data analysis with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Ethical issues were rigorously adhered to during the study procedure. Essential leadership traits include respect, honesty, stakeholder involvement, and flexibility.Moreover, a lack of vision, inefficient communication, and an inability to acknowledge team efforts impede institutional transformation. These observations highlight the significance of leadership in enabling effective transformation. The study highlights the crucial importance of transformational leadership because this leadership model features all the qualities needed by a leader to drive a successful institutional transformation in Namibian higher education. The results are consistent with previous research, highlighting the significance of transformational leadership attributes in promoting effective institutional transformation.
