PETROFUND has invested over N$115 million in training 438 Namibians through academic and vocational scholarships to ensure the country’s youth can meaningfully participate in its growing oil and gas industry. This was revealed by CEO Nillian Mulemi during the 2nd Youth in Oil and Gas Summit held on 25 July 2025 in Walvis Bay.
Addressing hundreds of young attendees under the theme “Drilling into the Future: Empowering Youth in Namibia’s Oil and Gas Revolution,” Mulemi said PETROFUND’s upstream scholarship programme spans geosciences, engineering, subsea technology, oil and gas law, finance, taxation, cybersecurity, and decommissioning. TVET support includes training in welding, fitting, roustabout, and roughneck skills. Economically disadvantaged learners from marginalised communities were also sponsored at selected schools.
In 2025 alone, more than 90 students are receiving scholarships in vital industry fields, including deck cadet training and remote-operated vehicle piloting in Malaysia. “This programme is key to realising Namibia’s local content aspirations and empowering youth to be part of the country’s oil and gas revolution,” Mulemi said.
Beyond academic training, PETROFUND has expanded on-the-job opportunities through partnerships with ten service providers such as TechnipFMC, SBM, Subsea7, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and SLB. So far, 82 young Namibians are placed in various technical and commercial roles.
The Trust also announced the launch of a national Oil and Gas CV Repository to boost employment linkages. Online applications for the flagship scholarship open on 4 August and close on 10 October 2025.
“We must forge deliberate partnerships with the youth,” Mulemi concluded. “This industry will be built not only on rigs and FPSOs but on the innovation and discipline of Namibia’s next generation.”
