Cape Town, South Africa – Namibia’s Petroleum Commissioner, Maggy Shino, has called for deeper regional collaboration as African producers prepare to take a bigger role in the global energy market.
AfricaHeadline Reports Team
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Speaking at the Angola Oil & Gas 2025 Conference in Cape Town, Shino delivered a keynote address on behalf of Kornelia Shilunga, Presidential Special Adviser and Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in Namibia’s Presidency. She highlighted how Angola’s five decades of oil production could serve as a guide for Namibia as it emerges as a new energy producer.
“Today, as independent nations, we stand together once again, this time not on the battlefield of liberation, but on the frontier of energy development,” Shino told delegates. “Just as Angola celebrates its 50 years of independence with hard-earned pride, Namibia is preparing to celebrate its own journey of sovereignty and energy development.”
Angola’s experience in fiscal regimes, local content laws and institutional governance offers what Shino described as a “living laboratory” for Namibia. Offshore discoveries in Namibia have raised expectations of an economic transformation, but Shino stressed that hydrocarbons alone would not guarantee broad-based prosperity.
“The policies we adopt, the partnerships we foster and the strategies we pursue will determine whether our resources become a blessing for all or a missed opportunity,” she said.
The geological similarities of Angola and Namibia’s offshore basins provide what Shino called a “natural foundation” for cooperation. Areas of potential collaboration include skills transfer, joint infrastructure, enterprise development and supply chain integration.
“Angolan institutions, universities and training centres can partner with Namibia to train engineers, geoscientists and technicians. Namibian SMEs can collaborate with Angolan suppliers to integrate into the regional supply chain. By aligning infrastructure, ports, pipelines and power networks, we can build a more integrated and resilient energy market,” she explained.
Local content remains central to Namibia’s petroleum strategy, with Shino insisting that oil and gas revenues must remain within the domestic economy.
“Our vision is to ensure that the wealth generated from petroleum resources does not leave behind only rigs and memories, but rather lasting development and prosperity,” she said.
By reinforcing ties between Angola and Namibia, Shino argued, both nations could extend the benefits of energy development beyond hydrocarbons to their wider economies.
“The future we are building is not just about oil and gas, but about creating opportunities for people, businesses and institutions across our borders,” she concluded.
