Local content promoted at NIEC 2024

The Namibian International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2024 opened in Windhoek with calls to prioritize ‘Namibian content’ – local content centred around empowering Namibian participation. Speakers underscored the role of capacity building and local content policies in the development of recent oil and gas discoveries, citing collaboration as a catalyst for energy security and economic prosperity. “Namibia has a unique opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past and adopt the best practices of other successful petroleum economies as we proactively plan for a framework of local content regulation. More specifically, let’s call it “Namibian Content” – because that’s really our focus: creating in-country value across the entire Namibian economy and ensuring sustainable economic impact from the resources under Namibian soil,” stated Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo. NIEC 2024 Set to start oil production by 2030, Namibia stands to gain a great deal from the development of offshore oil and gas. Maggy Shino, Petroleum Commissioner at the country’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, stated that “We are looking at capitalizing the oil and gas finds as we make them. We are aiming to create a positive impact to the economy.” Central to this is Namibian content development. The African Energy Chamber (AEC) – a strategic partner of NIEC 2024 – launched a program at the conference to facilitate market entry for local Namibians in oil and gas. In partnership with energy companies, the program will bolster youth participation across the industry.