NOGC 2026: Namibia Targets Jobs, Skills and Wealth from Oil Discoveries
The 4th Namibia Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (NOGC) 2026 has ended in Windhoek with a strong call for Namibia to transform its emerging petroleum resources into jobs, local businesses, skills, investment and sustainable national development.
Held under the theme “From Decision to Dividend: Making Namibia’s Oil Work for Namibians,” the three-day conference attracted more than 1,500 delegates, over 120 speakers and more than 70 exhibitors from Namibia and across the world.
The conference, hosted by the Economic Association of Namibia (EAN) in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), with strategic partnership from the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) and SNC Incorporated, was officially endorsed by the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy.
With Namibia moving from exploration towards petroleum development, discussions focused heavily on local content, skills development, enterprise participation, infrastructure, financing and investment as critical pillars for ensuring that the country’s oil and gas resources generate broad-based economic benefits.
Speaking on behalf of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Vice President Lucia Witbooi said the discovery of petroleum resources would have little meaning unless the wealth generated from them improved the lives of Namibians.
“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.”
She said Namibia’s petroleum resources must create employment, expand opportunities for local enterprises, equip young people with relevant skills, strengthen institutions and infrastructure, generate revenues for national development and provide savings for future generations.
Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Modestus Amutse, said government was determined to prepare Namibia for the transition from exploration to production while maximising the participation of local businesses and workers.
“Our strategic plan for 2026 to 2030 carries one organising idea, which is to move this country from exploration to readiness, so that Namibia is ready onshore when production begins offshore,” he said.
According to the Minister, Namibia expects local employment to be maximised, domestic suppliers prioritised and skills and technology transferred to Namibians, alongside greater local participation, ownership and financing across the petroleum value chain.
He also assured international investors that the country’s local content policy was designed to strengthen the industry rather than discourage investment.
“Local content, properly done, is not a tax on your investment. An industry surrounded by capable Namibian suppliers, skilled Namibian workers and invested Namibian communities is an industry with social licence, political stability and a future measured in generations,” Mr Amutse said.
He disclosed that local banks were ready to consider bankable proposals from businesses operating in the oil and gas sector, a development he said would help improve access to financing for domestic participation.
Chairperson of the Economic Association of Namibia and Managing Director of Monasa Advisory & Associates, Jason Kasuto, said the country’s petroleum resources should ultimately serve the interests of its people.
“Oil is not the point; oil is actually the how. Our people are the why,” he said.
The conference also provided practical opportunities for Namibian businesses to position themselves for participation in the emerging petroleum industry.
The Local Content Masterclass equipped businesses and policymakers with strategies to increase local participation, while the NIPDB Local Content Pitching Session allowed entrepreneurs to showcase their capabilities and explore partnerships with industry players and investors.
Supplier workshops further focused on helping local companies understand and meet international standards required to participate effectively in the oil and gas supply chain.
The closing sessions underscored the importance of sustained cooperation among government, industry, investors, financial institutions and local businesses as Namibia prepares for the next phase of petroleum development.
NOGC 2026 ultimately ended with a renewed emphasis on ensuring that Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry does not remain an export-oriented opportunity but becomes a catalyst for domestic enterprise development, employment, skills transfer, investment and long-term national prosperity.
The message from Windhoek was clear: for Namibia, the real measure of an oil discovery will not be the size of the reserves, but the lasting dividends those resources deliver to its people.
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