Kornelia Shilunga Outlines Namibia’s Vision for Turning Oil and Gas Decisions into National Benefits

19 August 2026, Windhoek.

Statement by Hon. Kornelia Shilunga, Special Advisor and Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit, at the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference 2026.

Director of Ceremonies

YOUR EXCELLENCY Lucia Witbooi, Vice-President of the Republic of Namibia,

HONOURABLE Modestus Amutse, Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Republic of Namibia,

HONOURABLE Ministers and Deputy Ministers in our presence today,

Members of Parliament

HIS EXCELLENCY Dr Philip Mshelbila, Secretary General, Gas Exporting Countries Forum,

Honourable Shafishuna Nujoma Jr., Governor of the Khomas Region and other Governors present here today.

Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Your Worship Councillor Ndeshihafela Larandja, Major of the City of Windhoek and other Majors present today

Mrs Victoria Sibeya, Managing Director, National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia,

Mr Jason Kasuto, Chairman, Economic Association of Namibia and Managing Director, Monasa Advisory & Associates

Mrs Julia Muetudhana, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Namibian Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB)

Dr Clemens von Doderer, Resident Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Namibia co-host partner

Mr. Travis Smithard, Chief Executive Officer of Rhino Resources

Captains of industry, esteemed investors, sponsors and exhibitors

Distinguished speakers, delegates, colleagues, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning,

It gives me a great pleasure to speak to you on this occasion of the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference 2026. I would like to thank, Economic Association of Namibia, NIPDB for organizing this important Oil and Gas forum.

I would also like to thank you all for your attendance and special thanks to those who are visiting us from different parts of the world, especially those who are visiting Namibia for the first time.

Namibia stands at an important moment in the development of its petroleum industry. Over the past few years, significant discoveries in the Orange Basin have fundamentally changed the outlook for our upstream petroleum sector. These discoveries have created new opportunities, but they have also placed on us an important responsibility: to ensure that the development of these resources translates into sustainable economic opportunities for Namibia and its people.

I believe this forum offers us all a unique opportunity to share ideas on how we can play our various roles in enabling our country to leverage its petroleum resources to attain socio – economic development while providing energy to the world.

As Government, our role is therefore not only to facilitate exploration and production. Our responsibility is to establish the policy, legislative and institutional environment that provides certainty to investors, protects the interests of the Namibian people and supports the development of a competitive national petroleum industry.

I have found the theme of this year’s conference “From Decision to Dividend: Making Namibia’s Oil Work for Namibians” to be fitting as Namibia moves towards Oil and Gas development and production phases.

In this regard, I would like to highlight several key areas of work currently receiving attention within the Upstream Petroleum Unit.

The development of major petroleum projects.

Government continues to engage with investors and operators on the development of Namibia’s significant discoveries. This includes ongoing discussions for the final investment decision relating to the Venus development, operated by TotalEnergies, and the broader work required to move major discoveries from exploration towards commercial development.

These engagements are important because project development requires capital, technology, infrastructure, skills, regulatory certainty and strong partnerships between Government and industry.

Government’s role is to establish a predictable, transparent and competitive regulatory environment that enables responsible investment while ensuring that Namibia receives a fair and sustainable benefit from its natural resources.

Industry, on the other hand, must bring the capital, technology, technical expertise and project execution capability necessary to develop these resources safely, efficiently and responsibly.

The objective is therefore not Government versus industry. It is Government and industry working together to create national value while protecting the national interest. More than the presence of resources underground.

Our licensing regime.

We are continuing to assess and strengthen Namibia’s petroleum licensing framework to ensure that it remains competitive, transparent and fit for purpose.

As exploration activity increases, Government is also considering the management and future issuance of petroleum exploration opportunities and blocks.

Our approach is intended to provide investors with greater clarity and certainty, while ensuring that Namibia retains the ability to manage its petroleum resources in