Namibia’s President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has met with Shell executives as both sides resume talks on advancing exploration activities in the country.
The meetings are part of Namibia’s broader effort to strengthen partnerships that can drive exploration, investment, and industrialization, following several major offshore oil discoveries since 2022.
Shell’s delegation, led by Eugene Okpere, the company’s Executive Vice President for Exploration Strategy, Portfolio, Integrated Gas, and Upstream, visited the State House in Windhoek to discuss its ongoing oil exploration activities and long term intentions in the country.
According to a statement from the presidency, President Ndaitwah welcomed Shell’s interest and noted that Namibia remains open to investors who contribute meaningfully to national development.
“Namibia is a peaceful country with clear rules. Those who invest in ways that grow our economy and respect our people are always welcome,” she said.
Shell is one of the key players in Namibia’s upstream energy space, operating offshore blocks in the Orange Basin.
The company, along with partners QatarEnergy and NAMCOR, made three discoveries Graff-1, La Rona-1, and Jonker-1 between 2022 and 2023, which have sparked global interest in Namibia’s hydrocarbon potential.
Shell’s visit this month follows a similar engagement in April by Total Energies’ Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Pouyanné, who also met with the President to discuss the French major’s offshore operations and development strategies.
In addition to offshore exploration, Namibia’s energy ministry has hinted at ongoing discussions around infrastructure that could support production, refining, and export of discovered resources.
Dangote expresses interest in oil and phosphate projects
Meanwhile, Dangote, who also met with the South African nation President in Windhoek, said his company is exploring investment opportunities in Namibia’s oil, gas, and phosphate sectors.
“We built a refinery with a processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. In addition, we produce LPG, carbon black, and sulfate chips. Our fertilizer plant produces over 3 million tonnes annually,” Dangote stated.
He explained that the Dangote Group is interested in expanding its fertilizer production by sourcing phosphate in new African locations, including Namibia.
The President had first proposed the idea of a national refinery at the Namibia International Energy Conference earlier this year.
Since then, she has also discussed a potential cross border refinery with Botswana, Zambia, and Angola as part of her push to build regional value chains.
Dangote’s visit reinforces a growing trend of African led investments in Namibia’s extractive sector, alongside long standing interest from international oil majors.
Namibia, which has no history of commercial oil production, is now positioning itself as a future energy hub in southern Africa.
With Shell and Total Energies leading offshore exploration, and regional industrial giants like Dangote Group showing interest in downstream opportunities, Namibia appears to be entering a new phase of strategic energy development.
