Namibian President Hage Geingob, 82, is in “good spirits” as he receives treatment for cancer, a senior official has said.

A medical check-up revealed that the president had “cancerous cells”, his office said last week.

It did not give further details of his condition, but said he would continue to carry out his presidential duties.

Concerns about his health have been growing, with reports saying that he admitted last year that he was frail.

“You see how I’m standing here? It means I’m tired and I’m not feeling well,” the privately owned Namibian newspaper quoted him as telling journalists at the time.

Mr Geingob is due to step down at the end of his two terms later this year.

In a statement, the vice-president of the governing Swapo party, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said Mr Geingob was in “good spirits” and receiving “good medical attention”.

She appealed to Namibians to allow the president and his family to focus on his recovery and healing process without speculation.

Mr Geingob underwent an aortic operation last year, while in 2014 he revealed that he had survived prostate cancer.

Namibia is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.

Swapo, which has been in power since independence in 1990, has chosen Mrs Nandi-Ndaitwah as its presidential candidate.

She is currently also Namibia’s deputy prime minister, and will become the country’s first female president if she wins.