American oil explorers visit Namibia
Promising oil and gas frontier
The regional conference is taking place under the theme 'From Frontier to Discoveries: Namibia's Journey to Major Oil and Gas Discoveries'.
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is hosting its Africa regional conference in Windhoek until Wednesday, under the theme 'From Frontier to Discoveries: Namibia’s Journey to Major Oil and Gas Discoveries'.Maggy Shino, Namibia's petroleum commissioner, described the Namibian oil exploration story as "remarkable" during her opening address yesterday.
She said Namibia has emerged as a promising frontier for oil and gas exploration.
“This transformation has been driven by a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors united in the pursuit of unlocking Namibia’s substantial natural resources," she said.
“Companies brought their expertise, advanced technologies and financial resources, further accelerating Namibia’s journey towards becoming a recognised player in the global energy landscape."
Recent discoveries have confirmed the presence of substantial hydrocarbon reserves and solidified Namibia’s position as a frontier with significant potential for future development. The successes are a testament to the collaborative efforts of the government, industry leaders, and local communities, Shino said.
“However, this journey is far from over,” she added.
Topics of discussion
The workshop focuses on environmental stewardship, responsible resource management and community engagement to help address challenges that remain to be overcome and opportunities that remain to be seized.
Yesterday’s programme featured addresses from Sa’id Al Hajiri, the AAPG vice president for the Africa region, and Nillian Mulemi, the AAPG Africa region president.
Galp geoscientist Daniel Rodrigues presented on the Mopane complex, while Yuri Martinez Perez discussed the tectonic evolution of the Owambo and Nama basins in Namibia. Raydel Toirac Proenza of Pioneer Oil and Gas spoke about the elements of prospectivity in the northern Lüderitz basin. This was followed by Reginalda Joseph from the same organisation, who elaborated on Namibia’s magmatic passive margin exploration.
Today’s sessions continue with a welcome from Namcor’s Victoria Sibeya, who is co-chairing the event along with Aune Amutenya, also from Namcor and a member of the AAPG leadership for the Africa region.