Minister of Industrialisation, Mines and Energy, Natangue Ithete’s speech at the Namibia International Energy Conference
As stewards of Namibia’s mineral and energy resources, our Ministry is committed to advancing inclusive economic growth.
The Namibia International Energy Conference has become a key platform for dialogue, policy development, and building partnerships that promote a sustainable energy future.
I commend RichAfrica Consultancy for its leadership in organizing this important forum.
This year’s conference theme, “Leading the Way: Becoming an Energy Hub with In-Country Value,” highlights Namibia’s increasing relevance in Africa’s energy landscape.
Our recent oil and gas discoveries, progress in renewable energy, and growing international collaborations reflect our emerging role as a regional energy player.
Namibia has rich natural resources, world-class solar and wind energy, vast offshore and onshore hydrocarbons, and significant uranium reserves.
These assets provide real opportunities to uplift communities, drive innovation, and fuel long-term growth.
Exploration in the Orange Basin has attracted global attention, placing Namibia firmly on the international energy map. Other promising regions, including the Kavango, Walvis, and Lüderitz basins, are also being actively explored, further underlining our resource potential.
We are equally committed to our clean energy transition. Solar energy is already leading in improving domestic generation capacity and enhancing sustainability and energy security.
These milestones result from a collective effort between government, industry, and partners.
However, challenges remain — particularly in infrastructure, financing, and regulatory certainty. Addressing these will require continued coordination and strategic investment.
We aim to manage our resources responsibly and ensure their benefits reach Namibians through strengthened governance, improved legal and fiscal frameworks, and prioritized value addition.
Namibia must move beyond being just a resource exporter — we must become a hub for processing, innovation, and manufacturing.
By prioritising local content, we ensure broad participation across the energy value chain and create jobs and lasting value for our people.
Infrastructure development, from generation to transmission, logistics to storage, should drive industrialisation and regional trade toward energy security.
To our investment partners: Namibia is open for business. We welcome you to form meaningful partnerships built on transparency, stability, and mutual benefit.
In closing, to realise our ambition to become a regional hub, each of us—whether as policymakers, investors, or citizens—has a role to play, and we should take these roles seriously.
Let us work together, guided by the “Africa We Want” vision, to make energy a driver of inclusive and sustainable development.
