BW Kudu in collaboration with Namcor and the Ministry of Mines and Energy invite grade 9 to 12 learners across Namibia to participate in an essay writing competition under the theme, How do we best develop our natural gas resources for the future of Namibia? The contest is an opportunity for learners to increase their awareness of the oil and gas sector in the national economy, and the potential benefits of hydrocarbon (natural gas) exploration and development.
The project aims to inspire the learners to study natural science subjects in their further education.
“We encourage learners to take part in this great opportunity by submitting their entries in the form of a 1000-word essay or a short two-minute video, podcast, poster, or animation and stand a chance to win great prizes.”
A total of 14 winners will be selected (one winner from each region) and each winner will receive an amount of N$3 000 plus N$4 000 for their school. In addition, the top three winners will each receive a brand new laptop. The competition started from 1 March 2021 to 6 April 2021, and the winners will be announced at an award ceremony at the end of May 2021.
Learners should send their work to entry@kuduessay.com and are advised to be as creative as possible.
BW Kudu’s General Manager Klaus Endresen hopes that the competition will help inspire interest in energy-related issues among Namibian learners. “Namibia is endowed with great natural resources that can be used in a responsible way and generate income and jobs for the country. The gas that has been discovered can be used to generate electricity for the local and regional markets.”
Namcor’s Executive for Upstream Development, Manfriedt Muundjua is particularly upbeat about increased petroleum-related knowledge that will be gained by learners. “Most learners know about renewable energy, but most of our energy for the foreseeable future will come from petroleum, we hope this competition makes learners think about the energy we use and the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources,” he added.
Echoing his sentiments, Petroleum Commissioner in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Maggy Shino highlighted the serious energy shortages faced by Namibia and the Southern African region at large. “What are the solutions to this predicament? We invite learners and science teachers to discuss this in class and submit thought-provoking essays and videos to us,” she said.
BW Kudu is the developer of the Kudu gas field, which contains some 1.3 trillion cubic feet of gas. The Kudu gas field is an offshore natural gas field in Namibia approximately 130 kilometres northwest of the city of Oranjemund, located in the Orange Sub-basin in 170 metres of water depth. Chevron Texaco discovered the Kudu field in 1974.
Further information on the competition is available at www.kuduessay.com