Namibia is set to consolidate control of its petroleum sector under the office of the presidency as the southern African nation edges toward becoming an oil producer. The move comes as part of a proposed amendment to the Petroleum Act, announced by Defense and Veterans Affairs Minister Frans Kapofi, who is also serving as Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy.
The bill seeks to transfer certain powers from the energy minister to the president and to the director-general of the upstream petroleum unit in the presidency. Some responsibilities currently held by the commissioner for petroleum affairs would move to a newly created deputy director-general within the upstream unit.
The proposed changes arrive at a crucial time as TotalEnergies SE negotiates with Namibia over the development of an offshore discovery. Along with a string of finds by Shell Plc and Galp Energia SGPS SA, these discoveries have transformed Namibia into an exploration hot spot.
Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah began bringing oil and gas more directly under her control earlier this year. Graham Hopwood, a special adviser to consultancy Horizon Engage, described the latest proposals as an attempt to elevate the status of the upstream unit and establish its legal basis, noting that clarification was necessary for the institutional framework.
Source: worldoil.com