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The window for Namibia to build a homegrown oil and gas workforce is narrower than it looks and the country’s Youth in Oil & Gas Summit spent three days in Walvis Bay driving that point home to the more than 700 delegates who turned out for its third edition, showing how urgently the message is landing.
Held from 23 – 25 July 2026 at the Walvis Bay Town Hall under the theme “From Discovery to Development: Talent, Capital and Local Content,” the summit brought together students, young professionals and Namibian and international delegates across keynote addresses, technical career pathways, financial-literacy sessions, MSME pitch spotlights, CV clinics and industry exhibitions. Convened by Founder Justina Erastus and held under the patronage of the Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Presidency, Kornelia Shilunga, this year’s edition marked a deliberate shift from raising awareness toward genuine participation and value capture, timed precisely to the moment Namibia moves from offshore discovery toward full-scale development.
Opening the summit, Erastus traced its evolution from a single conviction three years ago that “Namibia’s young people must not arrive late to their own national opportunity,” through awareness and career exposure in 2024, empowerment and local content in 2025 and now participation and value capture in 2026, growing in step with the country’s petroleum journey. With official youth unemployment standing at 44.4%, she warned that Namibia “cannot afford to build a spectator economy around one of the most consequential sectors in our history” and pressed government, operators, financiers and training institutions to open pathways now rather than later. Erastus added, “As the industry moves from exploration headlines towards development planning, this platform must also move from awareness to readiness and from readiness to participation. First oil is not the end goal, the goal is structural transformation, inclusive growth and long-term prosperity.”
Delivering the Patron’s remarks on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Shilunga commended the summit’s continued work empowering young Namibians to participate meaningfully in the sector, while cautioning that success in the industry is not “an opportunity presented on a silver platter” but must be earned through education, technical competence, discipline, innovation, hard work and perseverance. She framed young Namibians not merely as the nation’s future but as “active partners in shaping its present and determining its long-term prosperity.” Her central message tied preparation directly to the clock now running on the country’s development phase. She noted, “Discoveries alone do not create prosperity. It is what we do after discovery that will determine whether these resources transform the lives of our people and build a resilient, inclusive economy. Namibia has discovered oil and gas. Now we must develop talent. We must mobilise capital. We must implement meaningful local content. And together, we must build an industry that creates lasting opportunities for present and future generations.”
The clearest evidence of that deadline came from NAMCOR Executive for Upstream Development & Production Mtundeni Ndafyaalako, who told delegates Namibia has entered “a decisive new chapter” as the Venus project approaches Final Investment Decision. He laid out figures that give the urgency real weight, an anticipated investment of over US$11 billion during the development phase and a further US$7 billion in operations, with more than US$2 billion earmarked for local spending across the Erongo, Kharas and Khomas regions. He pointed to thousands of expected jobs across construction and development, Namibianisation targets rising to 90% of direct jobs by the production phase, and the planned Venus Academy, a training institution set for commissioning in early 2029 to certify Namibian professionals against international energy standards. Ndafyaalako said, “Opportunity will not wait for first oil as opportunity is being created right now in the readiness phase. Local content is not a gift or a quota, it is built on competence, compliance and commitment. NAMCOR is committed to walking this road with you, ensuring that Namibian talent powers Namibian prosperity.”
Remarks delivered on behalf of PETROFUND Chief Executive Officer, Nillian Mulemi, presented by Acting CEO Leorine Waggie, underscored how much groundwork is already being laid ahead of that deadline. PETROFUND has committed more than N$250 million to educate and train approximately 500 Namibians, while more than 60 young Namibians have secured internships and employment through over ten strategic MoUs with upstream operators and service companies, including 23 placements with TechnipFMC across four countries, 13 trainees with SBM Offshore in India and ROV pilot technicians deployed globally by Subsea7. Delegates were encouraged to register on PetroConnect, PETROFUND’s free digital CV repository, ahead of the 2027 PETROFUND Scholarship Programme opening for applications in the coming month. “The future belongs to those who are prepared. Apply for scholarships, register your CVs on PetroConnect, and take advantage of every opportunity to develop your skills. Your next career opportunity could begin with a single registration,” stated Mulemi.
Walvis Bay Diving & Salvage’ Managing Director, Erna van der Merwe, welcomed delegates “home” to the harbour town, reflecting on the company’s three decades of commercial diving heritage since her father became Namibia’s first Class II commercial diver in 1996. She argued that diving, marine and subsea services sit at the centre of the industry rather than its margins, a field where coastal Namibians can compete at a world-class level, provided they move now to build the skills the sector will need. “The discoveries of the Orange Basin lie beneath the sea and everything built to develop them will need to be inspected, maintained and kept safe by people who can work beneath the surface. If you keep learning, nothing can stop you, the ocean off this coast is about to change our country and we will be part of that change,” said van der Merwe.
The second day shifted the conversation from understanding the industry to preparing to participate in it directly, an implicit acknowledgment that awareness alone no longer meets the moment. FNB Namibia’s financial literacy session, led by Anadine Buckley, framed financial discipline as foundational to both career and business success, while The Energy Explainer Founder, Mutundi Jacobs urged young Namibians to become lifelong learners and pursue internationally recognised certifications such as ISO 9001 and ISO 45001. Industry leaders including Wetu Ishitile, Naftal Akwenda, Connie Theyse and Gideon Tjimokutu discussed building bankable businesses and accessing funding, while the Development Bank of Namibia, the National Youth Fund and SME support organisations offered alternative-financing insights, with DBN’s Yunus Williams reminding delegates of the pathways available to viable businesses. A strong technical-careers thread ran through the day too, spanning offshore services, engineering, fabrication, marine operations and diving, with Halliburton RMA Technician Celine Shinda encouraging young people to stay curious and position themselves early. Hands-on CV development sessions, Health, Safety and Environment workshops, MSME pitch spotlights, exhibitions and networking rounded out a programme designed to connect young people directly with industry, before the window narrows further.
The summit’s overall message distilled into a consistent set of priorities for young Namibians, all pointed at the same closing window: build the right skills, develop financial readiness, pursue internationally recognised qualifications, prepare businesses to compete, embrace a culture of safety and above all, position early. The organising team extended thanks to the more than 700 delegates who filled the room with energy and ambition and to the partners whose investment, in Erastus’s words, “has built more than an event, it has built access.” The summit acknowledged Diamond Partner Walvis Bay Diving & Salvage, Energy Partner TotalEnergies, National Oil Company Partner NAMCOR and its commercial and strategic partners including Chevron, FNB Namibia, Standard Bank Namibia, Greenwood Supply Services, Logistics Support Services, 3C Metal Belmet, WWS Namibia, PetroFund, the African Energy Chamber, NAMPOA, ReconNamibia, Energy Capital & Power, The Prospect, Namibia Oil and Gas, the United States Embassy, Deloitte, MTC and Coca-Cola, alongside every hospitality, transport, connectivity and networking partner who contributed to the event.
As the third edition of the summit closed, the message to Namibia’s youth was unambiguous, the opportunities emerging from the country’s energy sector are real, significant and within reach but the runway to claim them is finite. The journey from discovery to development, organisers stressed, will depend on whether its people, businesses and partnerships are ready before the deadline the industry itself is now setting.
