Halliburton, a multinational oilfield services company, says it sees promising opportunities in Namibia’s emerging energy and resources sector, which aligns with its growth objectives.
The company’s optimism comes despite the sector still being in its early stages.
Speaking at the launch of its new facilities in Namibia, Halliburton Area Vice President Antoine Berel said currently, Namibia has only begun exploring its surface-level resources, with no final investment decision (FID) approved.
However, Halliburton is positioning itself to lead in the sector by deploying all necessary services within Namibia, eliminating the need to rely on surrounding countries for support.
“As Haliburton, we made the bold choice to establish all our services within Namibia, reducing reliance on surrounding countries. This allows us to accelerate our progress and deliver on our strategic commitments as we look to the future,” he said.
He further explained that as the facilities ramp up operations, they are projected to generate 200 additional jobs, helping meet the increasing demand from new contracts.
Currently, the team includes 41 Namibians, representing close to half of the permanent workforce, a number expected to double as activity escalates.
He also said over 50% of the Namibian workforce comprises women, meeting the minimum target the organisation set for gender representation.
“The new facilities are expected to create 200 jobs as we win more contracts, and as of today, we have 41 Namibians on board, that represents close to 50% of our permanent workforce. We expect to double that in the near future with the increase of activity,” he said.
He also said efforts to build skills and capacity in the workforce have also intensified, driven by partnerships with organisations like Petrofund and the use of talent resources, including the Young Talent Database.
Local universities are integral to this strategy; collaborations with the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) have already laid a strong foundation for training and upskilling initiatives.
In partnership with Rhino, the new Rhino Halliburton Technology Centres at the UNAM southern campus in Keetmanshoop are state-of-the-art facilities designed to advance local capabilities in geoscience, engineering geology, geophysics and data analysis.
“In collaboration with Rhino Resources and UNAM, we have inaugurated the Rhino Halliburton Technology Centres at the southern campus in Keetmanshoop. This state-of-the-art facility marks a significant milestone in advancing geoscience, education and cultural capabilities,” he said.
Barcel added that through a national campaign, the number of registered local vendors has increased by 300% year-on-year, with over 750 companies responding to recent calls for proposals.
This growth in local partnerships has nearly doubled the organisation’s local spending, rising from 12% to 25% over the past year.
In line with this investment, strategic support is being provided to local PDN companies, helping them to enhance their skill sets and business capabilities for long-term sustainability.
