Namibia and the Republic of Congo are set to sign new agreements in the oil and gas sector and between their main ports, marking a major step in expanding economic cooperation between the two countries.
This was confirmed on Thursday when President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah received Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, Congo’s minister of international cooperation and promotion of public-private partnership, who delivered a special message from Congolese president Denis Sassou Nguesso ahead of the Joint Cooperation Commission (JCC) meeting.
The agreements, to be signed during the JCC, will link Congo’s Port of Pointe-Noire with the Namibian Ports Authority and bring together the two countries’ national oil companies to cooperate in the fast-growing oil and gas sector.
“We would like to increase the cooperation between our two countries.
This cooperation has already started long, long years ago, and it was important for me today to see his Excellency, the President, and to give some information about this cooperation according to the message of our president,” Sassou Nguesso said after meeting Nandi-Ndaitwah.
He said the port agreement is intended to boost trade flows between Southern and Central Africa.
“Tomorrow (Friday), we are going to have two signatures between our port, the Port of Pointe-Noire, which is going to sign an agreement with the Port Authority of Namibia. This agreement is done to increase the trading between the two countries,” he said.
The Port of Pointe-Noire is Congo’s main commercial port and serves as a key gateway for exports, including oil.
Namibia’s port authorities are set to gain from increased cargo traffic and enhanced logistical links with Central Africa.
The most notable progress, however, is the collaboration in oil and gas, especially as Namibia begins to emerge as a new oil producer after major offshore discoveries.
“We would also like to focus on the oil and gas sector, because in Namibia, you now have some oil. The SNPC, the national company of our country, Congo, is going to sign the agreement with the national company of Namibia to work together in this area,” Sassou Nguesso said.
Congo has decades of experience as an established oil producer, whereas Namibia is in the early development stages of its petroleum industry. The partnership is likely to emphasise technical cooperation, knowledge exchange and potential joint ventures.
“We have identified two areas that we are going to focus on to work,” the minister added.
He said technical experts will finalise the details during the commission meetings.
The Congolese delegation also raised the revival of the Loudima project, a historic educational cooperation initiative launched in 2014 to promote bilingual education in English and French. “Our president remembers when he launched the project in 2014 in Loudima. It was a very, very important project for the two countries. We know we have some problems with the project, but the willingness of the President is to put the project on the road and to see the other areas that we can do concretely between the two countries,” Sassou Nguesso said.
He described the project as “a legacy of our continent” and said Congo’s education minister will meet Namibian authorities to find solutions to move it forward.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah welcomed the Congolese delegation and said Namibia values its long-standing relationship with the Republic of Congo.
“We know and appreciate the good relationship between our two countries. We even have that unique project of Loudima. Through the Joint Cooperation Commission, our experts are working to identify more areas of cooperation,” she said. She stressed the importance of strengthening practical partnerships that deliver real benefits to citizens.
“Our objective is to ensure that cooperation between our two countries produces concrete results. We want to see progress not only in education, but also in trade, energy and other sectors that can grow our economies and create opportunities for our people,” the President said.
-ljason@nepc.com.na