With an estimated 5 000 jobs expected from the development of Namibia’s offshore oil resources, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday hosted Mike Sangster, Vice President of TotalEnergies, at State House.
The President pushed for urgent public awareness as the company reported progress on major offshore discoveries expected to transform the country’s economy.
The high-level engagement comes at a critical time as Namibia edges closer to becoming an oil-producing nation, with major offshore discoveries attracting global attention and investment.
While industry progress dominated technical discussions, Nandi-Ndaitwah placed emphasis on public awareness and inclusivity, warning that citizens must not be left behind.
“I am glad that you responded to the invitation of our founder and convener of that conference. The support that you are giving to it is very critical for us at this stage, as we need as many Namibians as possible to understand what is happening,” she said.
Behind closed doors, TotalEnergies briefed the president on the latest developments around the Venus oil discovery – one of the most significant finds offshore Namibia in recent years.
Speaking shortly after the meeting, Sangster provided deeper insight into the company’s progress, painting a picture of a technically complex but steadily advancing project.
“I wanted to update Her Excellency, the president, on the work that we’ve been doing on the Venus project since the beginning of the year. Since our last meeting in January, our teams have been working very hard on the technical development,” he said.
Sangster said the project has now reached a stage where it is considered technically sound, following extensive collaboration between TotalEnergies and multiple international contractors.
The Venus development presents significant engineering challenges, which the company says it is prepared to tackle.
“It’s a very complex development. It’s 3 000 metres of water depth – 320 kilometres from the coastline. There are many ocean conditions, so it’s a technical challenge, but one that we’re ready to take on,” Sangster said.
Despite these challenges, the potential economic benefits for Namibia are substantial, particularly in job creation.
“We think that, during the construction phase, between the direct and indirect jobs created by the project, there should be about 5 000 jobs in Namibia,” he revealed.
This projection is likely to boost optimism in a country seeking to leverage its natural resources to tackle unemployment and stimulate economic growth.
Sangster also confirmed that TotalEnergies has already submitted its development plans to Namibian authorities and is now awaiting approvals.
He added that the company is also focusing on skills development to ensure Namibians are equipped to participate in the sector.
“We’ve spoken about what we can do in terms of training to be sure that we have the right people available in Namibia to work on the project,” he said.
Sangster also outlined a clear timeline for the project’s next major milestone.
“Our target is to be able to sanction the project in 2026, around the middle of the year,” he said, referring to the anticipated final investment decision.