Cabinet approves oil and gas local content policy
Patience Makwele Cabinet has approved Namibia’s National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, paving the way for increased Namibian participation in the country’s emerging oil and gas industry. Special advisor and head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the office of the President, Kornelia Shilunga, announced the approval on Wednesday at the Namibia Oil and Gas […]
Cabinet has approved Namibia’s National Upstream Petroleum Local Content Policy, paving the way for increased Namibian participation in the country’s emerging oil and gas industry.
Special advisor and head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the office of the President, Kornelia Shilunga, announced the approval on Wednesday at the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference 2026 in Windhoek.
“I am happy to confirm that the National Upstream Local Content Policy has been approved by Cabinet,” Shilunga said.
She said the policy provides direction for increasing Namibian participation across the petroleum value chain, including through local business development, employment, skills and technology transfer, and access to procurement opportunities.
Shilunga said local content must go beyond participation for its own sake, with the aim of building Namibian companies with the capacity, expertise and financial strength to compete in the petroleum industry and beyond.
“The successful implementation of this policy will require strong collaboration among all stakeholders, including the government institutions, petroleum operators, contractors, local businesses, civil society and communities,” she said.
Industries, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse said Namibia was preparing to move from exploration towards production between 2026 and 2030, with the government prioritising local employment, suppliers, skills development and technology transfer.
Vice President Lucia Witbooi, who officially opened the conference on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said local content would be critical to ensuring that Namibia’s petroleum discoveries translate into tangible economic benefits for Namibians.
She urged oil companies and contractors to treat local content as a strategic business responsibility rather than merely a compliance requirement.
“Early identification of procurement opportunities, transparent contracting processes, meaningful training programmes, technology transfer, mentorship, secondments and supplier development must become part of project planning from the outset,” Witbooi said.
“Waiting until major contracts are already awarded will be too late.”
Witbooi said Namibia’s objective was not simply to attract international capital, technology and expertise, but to use those partnerships to build lasting industrial, human-capital and commercial capacity within the country.
“International investors must see Namibia not merely as a geological opportunity, but as a country in which they can build lasting industrial, human-capital and commercial partnerships,” she said.
The policy comes as Namibia moves closer to developing major offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin, with the government seeking to shift the sector from exploration towards development and production.
Economic Association of Namibia chairperson Jason Kasuto said the ultimate purpose of Namibia’s petroleum sector should be to improve the lives of Namibians.
“Oil is not the point, oil is actually the how. Our people are the why,” Kasuto said.
The policy comes as Namibia moves closer to developing major offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin, with the country seeking to shift the sector from exploration towards development and production.
NAMCOR managing director Victoria Sibeya said the country’s recent discoveries, particularly in the Orange Basin, had ushered in a new era and expanded opportunities for Namibian participation in the sector.
Witbooi said the Venus discovery, operated by TotalEnergies, is currently the country’s most advanced offshore development project, with publicly stated plans envisaging an FPSO-based development and first oil around 2030, subject to a final investment decision and the completion of regulatory, fiscal, environmental and other processes.
Shilunga said the government was continuing discussions with investors and operators on the final investment decision for Venus and the broader development of Namibia’s major discoveries.
She said the projects would require significant capital, technology, infrastructure, skills and regulatory certainty.
At the same time, Shilunga said the government was reviewing Namibia’s petroleum legal and fiscal regime to ensure that the legislative framework remains fit for purpose as the industry develops.
She said the scale of recent discoveries and the complexity of future petroleum developments required the government to continuously assess whether existing laws remained adequate.
Witbooi said the government’s broader objective was to ensure that petroleum does not become an enclave industry operating separately from the Namibian economy.
Instead, she said, the sector should drive diversification, industrialisation and enterprise development.
She identified ports, logistics, fabrication, engineering, marine services, financial services, information technology, environmental services, training, research and development and manufacturing as areas t
