Namibia’s emerging oil, gas, mining, and green hydrogen sectors are raising expectations of long-term economic transformation, but also highlighting concerns around skills development and local participation.
With offshore discoveries and rising investment interest, the country is positioning itself as a future energy and resources hub, despite a population of just over three million.
“I don’t think anyone would have thought that we were going to face this inflection point four or five years ago,” said Angelique Peake, Sector Head for Oil and Gas, Energy and Resources at RMB Namibia.
However, experts warn that Namibia’s ambition depends heavily on whether local workers and businesses can meaningfully participate in highly technical, capital-intensive industries.
Peake said international companies will be essential in building the sector, particularly in the early stages, due to the complexity and long lead times involved.
“These are highly complex, high-capital, high-skill industries that require many years of experience. Namibians cannot yet fully operate in that space,” she said.
At the same time, she stressed that global firms are already beginning to train local talent as projects develop, helping to build domestic capacity over time.
A key concern remains whether resource-led growth will translate into widespread job creation and inclusive economic benefits, rather than remaining concentrated among foreign operators and specialists.
Peake said the opportunity lies in building integrated systems where infrastructure and industrial ecosystems are shared, allowing wider participation over time.
“If we do this right, we can create a system that works together and uses the same infrastructure, and then the ecosystems are multiplied many times,” she said.
She added that Namibia’s transformation will likely unfold gradually over the next 10 to 20 years as skills, infrastructure, and supporting industries develop.