WINDHOEK – Namibia’s second Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition kicked off yesterday in Windhoek, with the theme ‘Unlocking & Optimising Our Resource Potential.’

Rich Africa Consultancy is hosting the conference which ends on 19 September.

Endorsed by the Government of Namibia, the conference aims to explore ‘how to unlock the potential of the country’s oil, gas and energy resources and therefore ensure the development of Namibia’s natural capital and its sustainable utilisation for the benefit of the country’s social, economic and ecological well-being’, as stipulated in Vision 2030.

The event will gather international and national industry experts to exchange ideas and deliberate on key issues shaping Namibia’s oil, gas and energy industries.

“In our promise to host the compelling thought leadership event of the year, Rich Africa is very proud to announce that Bridgette Radebe, an entrepreneur, economic activist, and an agent of transformation form part of a coterie of speakers at Namibia’s 2nd international oil and gas conference,” said Selma Shimutwikeni, the Managing Director of Rich Africa Consultancy and founder of the Oil & Gas Conference, in a statement.

“With this conference, our ultimate goal is to ensure that this learning platform contributes to the establishment of solid foundations for the management and sustainable development of Namibia’s petroleum and energy sectors,” Shimutwikeni said.

Speakers include the Minister of Mines and Energy, Isak Katali, as well as the Minister of Trade and Industry Calle Schlettwein, Immanuel Mulunga, Petroleum Commissioner at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Stanislas Drochon, Director for Africa Oil and Gas Practice at IHS, Paulinus Shilamba, Managing Director of Nampower, Anthony Paul, Energy Consultant at Trinidad and Tobago, Local Content Chamber, and Cameron Kotze, a partner at Ernst & Young.

Some of the key topics to be discussed include Namibia’s geological potential and energy landscape, project finance and petroleum taxation, the kudu gas-to-power project, economic empowerment, local content and Southern African downstream industry and refining capabilities.

The objective is to provide a thought leadership forum for Namibia’s oil, gas and energy stakeholders to exchange ideas, discuss key issues and challenges shaping Namibia’s oil and gas industry, as well as attract investment. It is expected that attendees at the conference will range from government decision-makers, investors, international and national oil companies, oil and gas service providers, financial institutions, law firms and the local business communities.

“We are proud to announce that Tullow Oil, Shell, Repsol, OMV, Murphy Lüderitz Oil Company, Pancontinental Namibia, Nampower, PWC and Namcor are the sponsors of this thought leadership conference on Namibia’s oil, gas and energy sectors,” the organisers said in a statement.

Rich Africa Consultancy has also launched a report based on proceedings from Namibia’s 1st International Oil & Gas Conference 2012, which highlights some of the major themes and provides a synopsis of the speakers’ views, comments and solutions to some of the challenges in the industry. The company expects the report to become a convenient and useful reference to Namibia’s growing oil, gas and energy sectors.