President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia’s long-term gains from the oil and gas sector will depend on deliberate investment in skills development and stronger integration between the petroleum industry and the wider economy.
Speaking at the Namibia International Energy Conference 2026 on Wednesday, she said preparation for production must prioritise national participation through structured capacity-building initiatives and institutional readiness.
She said government engagement with industry has consistently emphasised the need to build a domestic skills base ahead of first oil, to ensure Namibians are not excluded from higher-value segments of the sector.
The President said this approach is intended to position local workers and firms to participate across the value chain, rather than being limited to peripheral activities.
“We need to prepare and develop the national skills base so that by the time production starts, our own people are ready to participate and shape the sector,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She added that the scale of offshore discoveries presents an opportunity to strengthen linkages between oil and other sectors of the economy, including infrastructure, services and manufacturing.
The President said value addition remains central to national policy, as it determines the extent to which resource development translates into employment and broader economic participation.
She warned that without coordinated planning, the benefits of the sector risk remaining concentrated, limiting wider economic impact.
“Value addition is critical because that is how jobs are created and how the benefits of this sector are extended across the economy,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia’s development frameworks, including Vision 2030 and National Development Plan 6, provide the foundation for integrating the petroleum sector into broader economic objectives.
She added that sustained coordination between government, industry and institutions will be required to ensure oil and gas development supports inclusive and long-term economic transformation.
