President Nandi-Ndaitwah says Namcor and Sonangol needed to continue working together and better in logistics, knowledge sharing and exploration of new oil frontiers.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has placed the oil and gas directorate under her office to monitor the sector closely.
The President said this during a working visit to Angola, where she held talks with the Angolan president João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço on May 9, 2025.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said oil and gas are among the priority areas, together with agriculture, energy, tourism, logistics, and infrastructure, including water cooperation, which are crucial to fighting unemployment in both countries.
“Angolan has built capacity in the oil and gas sector, providing training to Namibians in Angola and has demonstrably shown readiness to assist Namibia’s nascent oil and gas sector,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She visited SONIILS, an integrated logistics services company and a subsidiary of Sonangol, which has been critical to compliance, the development of local content, and job creation in Angola’s oil and gas sector.
According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia seeks to emulate the model, which holds tremendous potential for domestic local content and job creation.
When she met TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné during a meeting on Friday, April 25, 2025, at State House, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the oil and gas sector can transform our economy in the next 5 years.
“This new industry will require close monitoring, hence my decision to place it in the Presidency as I look to nurture its potential to benefit Namibians. To gain maximum benefit from this industry, the oil refinery is part of the programme,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah vowed that the 8th Administration would ensure that Namibia achieved its first oil production within the shortest timeframe.
“We will accelerate strategic partnerships, streamline regulatory processes, and invest in critical infrastructure to unlock the full potential of our hydrocarbon resources,” she added.
According to her, this milestone will fuel Namibia’s energy security and drive rural and peri-urban electrification, job creation, local capacity development and sustainable growth for future generations.
She explained that sufficient energy and water can only enable mineral beneficiation.
“The desalination plants to be set up in the Erongo Region will be critical enablers for unleashing the country’s full economic potential, thereby increasing output for the mining sector,” she said.
President Nandi Ndaitwah and President Lourenço expressed urgency in developing the Baynes Hydropower Plant as a catalyst for economic growth in both countries.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah and President Lourenço expressed satisfaction with the 24-hour Border Post at Santa-Clara/Oshikango, which facilitates trade and the movement of goods and persons.
Trade between Namibia and Angola can be further strengthened with the envisaged rail connection between the two countries, Nandi-Ndaitwah and President Lourenço emphasised.
