Namibian Opposition Condemns Power Grab in Oil and Gas Sector
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Namibia's opposition parties are sounding the alarm over a proposed bill that would hand unchecked control of the oil and gas sector to the Office of the President, warning of increased corruption and elite enrichment at the expense of the people.
Opposition parties in Namibia have fiercely criticized a proposed amendment to the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act of 1991, which would shift oversight of the oil and gas sector into the hands of the Office of the President. This centralization of power, they argue, is a dangerous move that threatens to deepen the cycle of corruption and mismanagement that has plagued Namibia’s extractive industries, reminiscent of the infamous Fishrot scandal that saw elites siphoning wealth from the fishing sector while ordinary Namibians suffered.
Popular Democratic Movement president McHenry Venaani has denounced the bill, highlighting the grave risks of consolidating such immense authority under a single office. He warns that stripping the Minister of Industries, Mines, and Energy of executive power undermines democratic checks and balances, paving the way for further exploitation of Namibia’s resources by a privileged few.
Despite these warnings, Acting Minister of Industries, Mines, and Energy Frans Kapofi has attempted to justify the bill, claiming it will modernize legislation and align with so-called international best practices. However, critics see this as a thinly veiled attempt to entrench elite control and silence dissent, rather than genuinely improving governance.
The bill also calls for the creation of an Upstream Petroleum Unit within the Office of the President, headed by a director general and deputy director general. This new bureaucracy would consolidate technical, regulatory, and compliance functions, raising fears of further opacity and exclusion of public oversight in a sector already rife with inequality.
Opposition leaders are demanding a comprehensive review of the bill, urging the government to heed the lessons of countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Russia, where the concentration of resource control in the hands of a few has led to widespread corruption, environmental destruction, and deepening poverty for the masses.
The struggle over the future of Namibia’s oil and gas sector will continue when the National Assembly reconvenes on 3 February 2026, with progressives vowing to resist any attempt to sacrifice public interest for elite gain.
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