Kledura Imalwa
Africa is on a definite rising level of economic progress, as demonstrated during the Africa Energy Week hosted by the Africa Energy Chamber in Cape Town, South Africa under the theme “The African Energy Renaissance: Prioritising Energy Poverty, People, Planet, Industrialisation, and Free Markets”.
Time and again we are reminded of our potential as a continent, and progressively we keep proving that we can become the world sustainer in every aspect.
For me, the Africa Energy Week was an amazing experience bringing together leaders and leading voices from across our continent and beyond. African human and natural resources have the capacity for self-sustainability which, when put together in a combined effort, will make Africa achieve its potential in this and other sectors.
Seeing the regional leaders putting their minds together on multiple developmental issues alone was very assuring. As a young woman in the industry, I felt so assured of my future and that of my children, learning that Africa can make it to a point where reliance on first-world countries is being archived to an ancient phenomenon, only to look back at it in awe and say “wow, is this where we were?”.
It was a great feeling seeing how Namibia has grown from strength to strength to the point it has become a topic of serious discussion on regional and global platforms. It is now a hotbed for clean energy and hydrocarbon prosperity.
Having a progressive President who understands the new world business order and championing high-level business relationships that usher win-win partnerships for the nation, has seen us witnessing “yours truly” His Excellency Hage. G. Geingob wooing international investors and receiving accolades and lifetime awards for his remarkable leadership style.
His business acumen and forward-thinking navigation of Namibia’s resurgence from economic demise in recent years, cannot go unnoticed.
At the conference, he spoke confidently about the model approach of our country to develop its own energy resources without contradiction to also develop green hydrogen technologies concurrently as we progress into a just transition. Our nation is poised to become a “sub-Saharan clean energy powerhouse.”
Due to post-Covid economic effects, truth be told, Africa has been hit with double-digit percentages of unemployment rates and Namibia is no exception to this. However, the great potential to turn around the rhetoric is glaringly in the making.
Fostering positive business relationships can make Africa become economically emancipated especially, through cross-border collaboration. Namibia has been a beneficiary of solidarity learning from case studies of many others, especially African countries that gained independence before her. This includes the new discovery of oil, from which we have seen many countries, particularly Africa and some of the Middle East, suffering from the resource-curse of these oil discoveries instead of being blessed. This puts us in a position to be more cognisant of all our own dealings while benefitting from the experiences of others, thus our government and the leadership can indeed be commended thus far for the local content policy draft in progress, as compared to other countries who only adopted these policies much later.
For example, Nigeria only got its Local Content policy signed into law in 2010, many years after its discovery of oil in 1956 and subsequent production to date.
Being a young professional in the oil and gas industry I never thought I would see a day that would accommodate women in top positions and taking strategic vantage roles. Needless to say, this industry has been male-dominated, and it was almost a myth to find women participating at consequential levels. I was privileged this past week to rub shoulders with powerful women in the Energy Industry at the Africa Women Business Energy Network (AWBEN) Luncheon where in C-suite, experienced women met with young women who are either entrants or relatively new in the energy industry.
It was an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing ideas on how women can and should be successful in the industry. Looking at these women and their level of enthusiasm, it was obvious that the energy industry has benefited a lot from having a balanced gender recruitment strategy.
The luncheon was followed by a powerful round-table panel discussion which featured a diverse group of influential women leaders in the energy sector from several parts of Africa. Listening to some of the most powerful women from the continent, the likes of Engr Oluseyi Afolabi and Grace Orife (Nigeria) tabling their profound presentations and insights on tackling Africa’s energy poverty challenges, offered me rays of hope that I can make it in the industry with no doubt. The youth also made impactful contributions at the Youth Energy roundtable discussion, which served to empower young Africans by recognising their role in driving the advancement of the African energy industry agenda and transition.
It was comforting to know that one can easily acquire mentors, advisors, and business partners to walk the energy journey with. I acquired my engineering degree in the oil and gas exploration space when Namibia never had any significant discovery of the oil mineral resource and this has made me somewhat idle for a while, figuring out how I would enter the industry. With the recent discovery, I feel relieved knowing that I can be of good use to the industry locally. Attending the Africa Energy Week in South Africa gave me a wide perspective of what I can contribute to my continent.
Meeting leaders and captains of industries from various countries sharing their wealth of experiences and knowledge gave me insights and assurance in growth, going forward. The moment has arrived for young Namibians, particularly women, to seek opportunities in this lucrative industry. The African Energy Chamber, championed by its executive director, NJ Ayuk JD, continues to be the voice of Africans on energy issues and especially promoting the role of women in it.
This was abundantly evident as I witnessed women taking centre-stage in the discussions and plenary sessions. Their (Africa Energy Chamber) support is incomparable, and they understand the strife that we go through just to make it in the industry. A huge thank you to the leader NJ and the entire team of the chamber for a well organised, smooth, and informative week.
It goes without saying that energy access has been a serious problem on the continent, yet we have all the resources required.
We have seen energy starved nations like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, and others struggle with power cuts and load shedding, hampering industrial growth.
Yet, just one single country such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, if given enough support, could power the whole continent on hydro energy alone. Namibia could do the same if the Green Hydrogen vision can be realised.
Africa is life and is the future and that future is now. Let us embrace what we have and harness all our resources towards sustainable development, to make the world a better and greater place.
May we all recommit ourselves to work towards a “just transition” and unlock Africa’s untapped energy potential. Arise Africans and show the world your potential.
*Kledura Imalwa has a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Exploration Engineering of Mineral Resources (BSC.Hons) from the University of Geosciences, China, and is a registered Engineer with the Namibia Engineers Council. She also holds an MBA in International Business from the Emerging Markets Institute of Beijing Normal University.