The upcoming Namibia Oil and Gas Conference, scheduled to take place in Windhoek on 16 and 17 August, has reportedly gained official endorsement from the mines and energy ministry. This is after one of the media partners of the upcoming event, an international publication called the Energy Republic, reported confirmed participation from the Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and mines and energy minister, Tom Alweendo.
The conference’s website quoted a letter from Alweendo, stating: “I hereby write to express our support for the Namibia National Oil and Gas Conference 2023 which holds great promise for fostering dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders in Namibia and the international oil and gas value chain. The Ministry of Mines and Energy would like to assure you that it remains at your service, pertaining to our participation at the event”.
The Namibia Oil and Gas Conference is expected to attract over 700 delegates. The programme for the event will be guided by the support of the ministry, alongside hosts, the Economic Association of Namibia (EAN), Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) as well as strategic partners, the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor).
The conference takes place against a backdrop of recent oil discoveries offshore Namibia that have propelled the country into prime position as one of the world’s final frontiers for oil exploration.
It is anticipated to bring together key role players in Namibia and the international oil and gas value chain, to exchange views on potential opportunities and challenges in establishing the oil and gas sector in Namibia with the aim of forming a strategic roadmap for both the public and private sectors on how the country can best benefit from these investments.
The event programme is aimed at exploring issues around investment opportunities, financing, value chains, and infrastructure, identifying required skills, employment creation as well as economic participation of local communities.
Jason Kasuto, chairperson of the EAN stated; “A core focus of the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference will be placed on proposing ideas and strategies that will ensure that investments in the sector do not create an enclave around oil and gas production sites, but lead to the development of an integrated industrial base with backward and forward linkages to the rest of the economy. This will create sustainable jobs and contribute to the social welfare of Namibia’s people.”
Shiwana Ndeunyema, Namcor’s acting managing director, added; “Namcor endorses this conference and calls for local and international stakeholder support in every manner possible”.
This year’s conference takes place under the theme of ‘Leveraging the Oil Discoveries for Inclusive Economic Development’.
While the world is transitioning towards renewable energy sources in efforts to decarbonise their economies, oil and gas remain critical sources of energy with the global oil and gas market estimated to grow significantly.
According to the conference website, the recent Namibian oil discoveries, coupled with improvements in deep-sea drilling technology as well as the current global energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, are expected to drive more international oil corporations towards Namibia, making the country the “new frontier” in oil.
“While Namibia’s abundant hydrocarbon resources set the country apart with regard to its investment potential for oil, the full-scale development of an oil and gas production industry will require the country to have in place legal provisions, infrastructure and human resources that will turn the massive investments in this area into broad-based economic growth,” the conference organisers stated, adding that developing this capacity will require extensive planning and broad-based consultations with key players in Namibia’s economy in both the public and private sectors, as well as civil society.
As such, the conference organisers aim to bring together key role-players in Namibia’s oil and gas ecosystem, civil society and the general public to exchange views on the potential, opportunities, and risks of establishing an oil and gas industry in the country.