Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo shared insights on upskilling the Namibian workforce, advancing integrated gas projects and driving the energy transition at the Namibian International Energy Conference (NIEC) 2024.
During a Fireside Chat moderated by NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, Minister Alweendo discussed efforts to ramp up local training and capacity building to build the skills needed to develop the country’s hydrocarbon resources.
“How do we create a balance to ensure companies can work, give flexibility to hire Namibians, but also drive these projects?” asked Ayuk. “Are you willing to fast-track a collaborative efforts with the industry to develop joint training programs?”
“[Namibian] content must speak to the reality of the country – it must be fit-for-purpose,” said the Minister. “We need to recognize that we don’t currently have the skills and to come up with a strategy with investors to correct this situation… You need to have policies, but you also need to have the people to implement the policy.”
Ahead of first gas from the Kudu Conventional Gas Development, Minister Alweendo underscored the importance of integrated gas projects in catering to local and regional power demand, as well as the impact of Namibia’s latest hydrocarbon discoveries on gas development plans. Namibia has already launched talks with South Africa regarding cross-border collaboration on power generation and transmission infrastructure.
“There used to be the idea that there was no market in Africa, but that view has changed. The market is here – Namibia has a power deficit, and all of us in the region can benefit from [Kudu gas],” he said. “Kudu looks more attractive now because of all the associated gas that has been discovered with oil… That is the discussion we are having now, to ensure a viable gas-to-power investment that can benefit not only Namibia, but the region.”
Gas is set to play a critical role in Namibia’s plans to industrialize, as the country champions a diversified energy mix to achieve energy security and generate economic growth.
“We believe in an energy mix – now that we have gas, it should be a part of our mix. If we want to industrialize, we cannot do that with renewables only with current technologies.”
Energy Capital & Power is a media partner of NIEC – taking place in Windhoek on April 23-25, 2024. The 6th annual conference unites industry leaders, business executives and policymakers to engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, create new partnerships and identify strategies to foster a prosperous energy industry in Namibia and beyond. For more information, please visit https://www.nieconference.com/.
