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The race to first oil is increasingly being framed as only the beginning of Namibia’s energy story, with government using the second day of the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition to push a broader vision of jobs, investment, skills, infrastructure and lasting national value.
The Strategic and Technical Conferences officially opened on 19 August alongside the exhibition, bringing together government, industry leaders, investors and innovators to examine how the country can turn its emerging petroleum industry into a wider engine of economic development.
Opening the conference on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Vice President Lucia Witbooi delivered a clear message that discovering oil is only the beginning.
“Discovery is not the destination. A resource beneath our waters becomes a national success only when it is responsibly developed and translated into tangible improvements in the lives of our people. It must become employment for Namibians, opportunities for our enterprises, skills for our young people, technology for our institutions, infrastructure for our economy, revenues for national development and savings for future generations,” said Witbooi.
The emphasis reflects a growing focus on ensuring the petroleum boom creates opportunities across the wider economy rather than concentrating benefits around offshore production.
Office of the President’s Special Advisor and Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit, Kornelia Shilunga reinforced the message by cautioning against treating first oil as the ultimate measure of success.
Shilunga noted, “As we look towards first oil, we must also look beyond first oil. The first barrel will be an important milestone but it cannot be a destination. The real dividend must be reflected in jobs that are created, strong and viable businesses, improved infrastructure, technology transfer, skills development, increased government revenues, industrial growth and improved opportunities for future generations.”
That framing puts local participation and economic spillovers at the centre of the country’s petroleum ambitions. The challenge is no longer simply developing the resource but ensuring the skills, businesses, infrastructure and industrial capacity are in place to capture value from it. The exhibition brought that ambition to life, showcasing technologies, energy solutions and engineering capabilities while connecting investors and industry players with emerging opportunities across the energy value chain.
The first barrel may mark the start of production but it should also mark the beginning of a much larger economic dividend. The real measure of success will be what the oil industry creates beyond the oil itself.
