Ngurare defends petroleum bill as MPs push for worker protections

Allexer Namundjembo

Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has defended the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, saying the proposed reforms are necessary to safeguard Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry and ensure the country’s petroleum resources are managed in the national interest.

Contributing to the debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Ngurare urged lawmakers to put aside political differences and support the legislation, drawing parallels with the passage of the original Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act in 1991.

Recalling discussions with ambassador Heiki Ausiku, a member of the first National Assembly, Ngurare said that lawmakers from across the political spectrum had unanimously supported the legislation despite significant political differences.

“National interest weighed heavier than political differences,” Ngurare said. “The same national interest should unite us today.”

He said he had expected the debate on the amendment bill to focus on how Namibia’s newly discovered petroleum resources could benefit citizens and how the country could learn from international examples of resource governance.