Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Parliament to urgently pass the petroleum amendment bill to fully operationalise the country’s oil unit, warning that delays are slowing progress in a strategic sector.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address in Windhoek on Wednesday, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the legislation is the first and most critical step needed to formalise the unit’s mandate and strengthen oversight as Namibia moves towards oil and gas development.
The President said a year has already been lost due to delays, stressing that urgent legislative action is required to support ongoing technical and institutional work.
“I am therefore calling on Parliament to join me in this effort. The first step is to pass the petroleum amendment bill with urgency, as one year has already been lost,” she said.
She warned that the sector must be carefully managed from the outset to avoid negative outcomes seen in other countries, adding that this informed the decision to place the oil unit under the Presidency for direct oversight.
The unit has been established with an initial staff complement of 26, with plans to expand to 141 as operations scale up.
“On oil and gas, I want to emphasise that this is a strategic sector worldwide. If it is not properly managed from the beginning, it could become a curse for our country,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She added that the oil unit is ready to engage parliamentary committees to provide further clarity, noting that negotiations will take place within a structured framework outside the chamber.
“If needed, the oil unit is ready to engage the relevant parliamentary committee for more information, as negotiations are not conducted in the chamber,” she said.
Since its establishment, the unit has undertaken benchmarking visits to Guyana, Angola, Norway and Algeria to draw lessons on governance, policy design and sector management.
At a technical level, government has begun reviewing industry submissions, marking progress beyond the initial set-up phase. A technical committee, guided by a high-level ministerial team, is assessing the first batch of Field Development Plans submitted by TotalEnergies, a key step towards formal negotiations and final investment decisions.
To strengthen capacity, Namibia has secured technical support from Norway, including engagement with experts involved in drafting the country’s Petroleum Act of 1992. A Norwegian delegate is currently working with the oil unit in an advisory capacity.
On the policy front, government has completed regional consultations on the local content policy aimed at increasing Namibian participation in the sector, with the next phase involving legislative review before submission to Parliament.
“Moving forward, government has completed regional consultations on the local content policy to gather public input and prepare a comprehensive legislative review before presenting it to Parliament,” she said.
