Namibia president wants oil produced ‘without much delay’ while...

Namibia president wants oil produced ‘without much delay’ while stressing importance of local content

"Namibia’s newly installed President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wants the country's oil to be produced with as little delay as possible, while at the same time growing local content, legislation for which is currently being drafted. No final investment decisions have been taken on Namibian projects, although TotalEnergies, Galp Energia and BW Energy are working up development plans for their Venus, Mopane and Kudu projects, targeting first production in about 2029, possibly earlier. “Without a doubt, the government's wish is to move from discovery to actual production without much delay, but with responsibility,” said the president in a speech given on her behalf on Wednesday by Namibia’s Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare. Reading out the president’s prepared remarks at Rich Africa Consultancy’s Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC) on Wednesday, Ngurare stressed, however, that the new government’s economic development agenda is firmly founded in the ruling SWAPO party’s manifesto for 2025-2030, with a focus on value addition, natural resource beneficiation and industrialisation.

“Our collective aspiration is to add value to our natural resources, diversify our economy, create jobs and uplift every Namibian,” by creating a sustainable energy hub, wrote the president, who is known locally as NNN. “We call on all our partners to work with us in a manner that reflects our shared commitment to responsible and sustainable progress.” As Namibia’s oil and gas projects are brought on stream, wrote the president, the resulting government revenues will be invested in infrastructure, held diversify the country’s economy and strengthen public services. “Through a well-paced approach, we will ensure our natural resources create long-term opportunities and national progress,” while acknowledging that “the road ahead requires collaboration, technical capability and strong governance.” In her prepared remarks, Nandi-Ndaitwah wrote that Namibia’s oil and gas journey must be based on trust, mutual benefit and transparency.

“We welcome investment, not just capital, but partnerships that align with our values and vision. We seek partners to invest, skills, infrastructure and knowledge transfer, and who remain committed to Namibia's long-term development goals.” The president said partnerships formed today must deliver a lasting legacy of opportunity for generations to come, stressing again the importance of local content and beneficiation, but recognising that each stage of the energy value chain presents different opportunities with varying levels of participation. While much attention is currently focused on Namibia’s E&P sector, Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that it is also important to develop downstream capacity and infrastructure as well as promote ownership and meaningful participation of local companies in the sector. The president added that “we are streamlining regulatory processes, strengthening institutional coordination and ensuring policy clarity to support timely and transparent decisions across the energy value chain.” Natangwe Ithete, Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy — also speaking at NIEC — said that while the government is committed to prioritising local content, challenges remain, including infrastructure financing and regulatory certainty, which calls for coordination and strategic investment.

“Our goal is very clear; to manage our resources responsibly and ensure their benefits reach all Namibians through strengthening governance, improving legal and fiscal frameworks and prioritising value addition," said Ithete. “Our country must move beyond being a resource exporter. We must become a hub for processing and manufacturing.” Nandi-Ndaitwa’sh views on local content were welcomed by NJ Ayuk, head of the African Energy Chamber, an oil and gas advocacy group. “Namibians must never apologise for pushing local content legislation, local content policies. Don't back down on local content. Our industry is better when we have local content.” However, he also called for pragmatism, pointing out the need for integrating local workers into the sector through training and capacity building programmes. In addition, Ayuk highlighted the need for fiscal stability clauses in Namibia’s petroleum legislation which will offer investors certainty. “We can’t produce (oil) if we don't look at those stabilisation clauses … those guarantees that we need for this industry to flourish,” offering the cautionary tale of other African countries where oil and gas assets remain untapped years after being discovered, Ayuk said."