The National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) has addressed recent concerns and statements regarding its attendance at a community event affiliated with a political party. 

As a State-owned enterprise, Namcor’s mission is to serve the Namibian people by responsibly managing and promoting the development of the country’s oil and gas resources. 

“Our commitment to impartiality and neutrality is unwavering. We operate strictly by our mandate, prioritising the national interest above all else, and transcending political affiliations. Our recent participation in a community event attended by our executive for upstream was intended to provide essential updates on the oil and gas sector, and foster transparency and public awareness. 

“The invitation extended to Namcor to participate in the event was through the regional council’s office to provide updates on the oil and gas sector, focusing on youth engagement. We accepted the invitation, as it falls within the scope of our mandate and operations to educate and share valuable information with the community, particularly in light of recent oil and gas discoveries on our continental shelf,” reads a statement from Namcor. 

The statement continued that the attendance of the community event is not new, as Namcor had accepted a similar engagement and briefed the community, regional council and political leaders from different political affiliations on the developments of the oil and gas sector. 

“Regarding the event in question, we acknowledge that certain remarks made during the panel discussion have caused concern among members of the public and political stakeholders. 

“We wish to clarify that while such language may have been contextually conversational, it was not intended to indicate any political bias or alignment on the part of Namcor,” the company stated.  

It further assured all Namibians that its apolitical stance remains firm. 

“We understand the concerns brought forward, and appreciate the vigilance of all stakeholders in holding public institutions accountable. 

Namcor is dedicated to maintaining the trust of the Namibian people by ensuring transparency, accountability and neutrality in all our operations and engagements, going forward. We remain committed to serving Namibia and its people with integrity, impartiality and the highest standard of professionalism,” the statement added.