Reconnaissance Energy Africa founder Craig Steinke has retired as the company director and board chairperson.
The company acquired Petroleum Exploration License 073 in Namibia and PEL 001 in Botswana.
ReconAfrica plans to drill exploration wells in the Damara Fold Belt, and the Kavango Rift Basin plays this month.
Steinke said he is confident that ReconAfrica’s CEO, Brian Reinsborough, and the executive leadership team will guide it to commercial discoveries supporting Namibia’s energy independence goal.
Steinke said founding ReconAfrica in 2013 and discovering the Kavango basin were the major highlights of his professional career.
He said the original concept that the unexplored Kavango basin held a working petroleum system was proven through the drilling of ReconAfrica’s first three test wells.
As a director since January 2022, Steinke has been involved in drilling and installing 36 community water wells and provisioning 17 post-secondary scholarships for Kavango and SAN community students.
Steinke also said acquiring the Jarvie-1 drilling rig in 2019 was timely, as it provided the company with much-needed drilling flexibility and will continue to be a strategic asset.
Above all, Steinke said he is proud of the company’s social initiatives in Kavango East and Kavango West, where they drilled solar-powered community water wells to cater for over 10,000 people.
He added that besides providing fresh water, the water wells alleviate the human-crocodile conflict along the Kavango River.
Diana McQueen, who joined the company three years ago, will fill Steinke’s place.
Steinke said Diana has played an integral role in successfully ingratiating the company with the local communities throughout the Kavango region.
“With Diana‘s hands-on knowledge of the company, combined with her corporate governance experience, she will make an excellent board chair,” he said.
Jeffrey Harder comes in as an independent director and chair of the audit committee.
Harder, a former partner of Deloitte Canada, brings 40 years of financial knowledge and oversight to the Board and a wealth of governance experience.
As an independent director, Jeffrey will take on the leading role as Chair of the Audit Committee.
ReconAfrica is now strategically positioned for an upcoming multi-well drilling campaign.
Reinsborough said the company is well-positioned to execute an exciting exploration drilling program.
“Both Craig and Diana have been integral parts of building our robust environment and social and governance programs in the Kavango region.
“We will continue that legacy. We continue to enhance our Board of Directors as we expand our governance structure and broaden its core competencies, which Jeffrey Harder will provide as Chair of the Audit Committee. We welcome Jeffrey to ReconAfrica,” he said.
McQueen said it was Steinke’s visionary leadership that saw the potential for a sedimentary basin in a previously unexplored part of the world.
“I will continue to fulfil my role as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Relations as we prepare for the drilling of the Naingopo and Prospect P exploration wells in the Damara Fold Belt until a suitable replacement has been found.”
