International Relations Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for closer collaboration between national bulk electricity suppliers, NamPower and Eskom to improve energy supply.
Nandi-Ndaitwah made the appeal during a joint consultative meeting held between the governments of Namibia and South Africa.
The consultative meeting, known as the Bi-National Commission seeks to deepen relations between the two countries.
Collaborative efforts between the two bulk electricity suppliers would help drive industrialisation, Nandi-Ndaitwah said on Thursday.
“Both Namibia and South Africa subscribe to the African Union Agenda 2063 that calls for industrialised Africa. However, without energy industrialisation cannot take place. I, therefore, urge NamPower and Eskom to strengthen existing cooperation on power supply, interconnectivity and opportunities available. Among others, there is scope for further discussions on the Kudu Gas project and that NamPower and Eskom should have further engagements,” she said.
South Africa’s Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said collaboration between the two countries helped bring about favourable economic development.
“Our collective efforts to create favourable conditions for economic development are yielding results. We have collaborated, and continue to do so, in efforts to bring about sustained peace in our region and the continent,” Didiza said.
Didiza also used the opportunity to implore South Africa to take advantage of Namibia’s newly discovered oil and gas resources.
“The recent discovery of oil and gas in Namibia should thrust us to conclude modalities for increased cooperation in energy and green hydrogen for mutual benefit. This important sector will potentially enhance regional economic growth and integration. This can be realised through the implementation of sustainable development projects,” Didiza said.
Namibia imports a total of 460 megawatts (MW) from regional power utilities to meet its daily energy demands. Of this, 200MW comes from Eskom, in a deal that was recently renegotiated and extended for another three years. The remaining 80MW comes from the Zimbabwe Power Company.
