Qatar has expressed a strong interest in deepening its energy partnership with Namibia, saying it sees major opportunities in the country’s new oil and gas discoveries and is ready to share expertise, expand investments, and accelerate development in the sector.

Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, paid a courtesy visit to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday at State House, where both leaders reaffirmed the growing cooperation between the two countries. President Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia values its long-standing friendship with Qatar and sees the Gulf nation as a key partner as it moves into the energy sector. “Your country has experience in this field. For us, we are just coming in, and we really want to tap on your experience so that this new discovery of oil and gas can benefit the people of Namibia,” she said. 

She also thanked Qatar for supporting capacity building through contributions to Namibia’s Petro Fund, which trains Namibians for the petroleum industry. Minister Al-Kaabi said Qatar sees Namibia as an important investment destination and confirmed that Qatar Energy now holds five oil and gas exploration blocks in Namibia.“We have a total of five blocks in the country. I believe we are by far the largest contributor to exploration as a single company,” he said.  He added that Qatar Energy has already invested about US$3 billion in exploration activities together with partners TotalEnergies, Shell, and Chevron. “The Venus discovery, which is with Total, is much more promising, and we are ready for immediate FID,” he said, referring to the Final Investment Decision.  President Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia welcomes Qatar’s willingness to share its “unorthodox but effective” management model of the oil and gas industry, something that sets Qatar apart from other producers.

The minister concluded by saying it was “a pleasure to be in Namibia”, noting he had previously visited the State House during an official visit in earlier years. -ljason@nepc.com.na