Angolan engineering and technology firm COPIA Group of Companies has established a permanent presence in Namibia as it targets opportunities in the country’s emerging oil and gas industry and wider energy sector.
The company officially launched COPIA Energy Services Namibia on the sidelines of the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (NOGC) 2026 in Windhoek, marking its first permanent operation in the country.
The Windhoek office will position COPIA to pursue engineering, project management, inspection, supervision and technology-related opportunities across Namibia’s oil and gas, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.
COPIA founder and Chief Executive Officer Adilson Nelumba said the expansion forms part of the company’s Southern African growth strategy and is aimed at establishing long-term partnerships as Namibia prepares for potential offshore petroleum development.
“Our expansion into Namibia is more than entering a new market. It is about building relationships, sharing knowledge and demonstrating that African companies can develop solutions for African energy markets. Africa has the talent, technical expertise and entrepreneurial capacity to develop solutions for its own markets,” Nelumba said.
The expansion comes as Namibia’s offshore petroleum sector attracts growing international investment following major discoveries, particularly in the Orange Basin, and as local companies and service providers position themselves for potential development and production activity.
Nelumba said establishing a physical presence would allow COPIA to better understand Namibia’s requirements and engage directly with government, operators and other industry stakeholders rather than attempting to serve the market remotely from Angola.
“We cannot talk with Namibia as a whole from Angola. Something is not working. We need to be there on the ground. We need to talk with them. We need to live their problems. We need to be there, we need to understand the market and we need to participate in the conferences,” he said.
COPIA provides engineering consultancy, industrial services and digital solutions. Its proprietary technologies include COPIA SEIS and COPIA DynamicSim, which are designed to support data analysis and operational decision-making in energy projects.
Founded in Angola in 2014, COPIA was established after Nelumba left state oil company Sonangol, where he had spent a decade working in geophysics and exploration-related activities.
The company initially focused on engineering projects before securing a role in Angola’s US$4.5 billion Caculo Cabaça Hydropower Project, which Nelumba said became an important turning point in COPIA’s development and demonstrated the ability of African companies to participate in large-scale projects through strategic partnerships.
COPIA subsequently expanded back into oil and gas and obtained certification under Angola’s local content framework before pursuing opportunities in neighbouring markets.
“We believe in you, Namibians. We believe that you can really make this industry better than what it is now and we want to be part of it. We do not need to have a contract first to come. We just need to be here, understand the market and build relationships,” Nelumba said.
The company said its Namibia operations will also focus on knowledge transfer, skills development and technology sharing as it seeks to support greater local participation in the energy industry.
COPIA representatives participated in technical and strategic discussions at NOGC 2026, with Nelumba speaking on opportunities for independent companies in frontier basins, while Director of Research, Development and Technology Edmilson Delfim Praia participated in discussions on appraisal, reservoir engineering and field development.
The Namibia entry forms part of COPIA’s broader strategy to expand Africa-to-Africa collaboration and position African engineering and technology companies to capture a greater share of opportunities emerging from the continent’s energy developments.
