Africa Global Logistics (AGL) says it has invested N$794 million (€40 million) into Namibia’s logistics sector as the country prepares for first oil production in the offshore Orange Basin.
Speaking at the Wider African Energy Summit in Aberdeen, hosted in partnership with the African Energy Chamber, AGL Oil and Gas Director Thomas Bonnetain said the company intends to position itself as a long-term strategic partner for international operators entering Namibia’s petroleum sector.
He said the company’s growing presence aligns with national efforts to build skills and strengthen local participation.
“We have invested €40 million in Namibia to build logistics platforms. This is a country where we have been operating for 25 years. A year and a half ago, we had eight people in the country and today we have more than 100 staff,” Bonnetain said.
He added that AGL has signed an agreement with a Windhoek-based university “to create a pool of on-the-ground talent.”
Bonnetain said the partnership with local academic institutions forms part of a wider strategy to develop Namibian expertise and ensure local involvement across the oil and gas supply chain. He said the company employs and trains local staff, with all contracts managed by Namibian stakeholders.
“We hire locally and teach people how we operate and the way we approach the oil and gas industry. All of our contracts are being handled by local stakeholders,” he said. He noted that AGL’s fully integrated logistics support for Shell’s operations in Gabon has created 220 jobs in Port Gentil.
Also speaking at the summit, Colibri Business Development CEO and founder Ileana Ferber highlighted the need for practical and well-structured local content policies in emerging oil markets such as Namibia. She said policy targets must match real industry capacity and training levels.
“It is really important for policies to have targets, which are set on realistic expectations. You need to assess what the state of local suppliers and capabilities are. It’s also important to know whether educational institutions are at the right level and are able to address the demands [of the industry],” she said.
AGL is a major multimodal logistics provider in Africa and forms part of the MSC Group. The company employs 23,000 people across 50 countries, supported by 250 subsidiaries providing port, maritime, rail and logistics services in Africa, Haiti, Timor and Indonesia.
