Middle East / Africa
Country profile: Namibia
| Location: | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
| Climate: | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
| Terrain: | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
| Size: | 825418 sq. km total (Land area: 825418 sq. km ) |
| Population: | 2,088,669 |
| Languages: | English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Windhoek |
| Legal system: | based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), which evolved into the Southern African Development Community (SADC) , has been in existence since 1980. The original nine member-countries were Angola , Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa joined SADC in 1994 followed by Mauritius (1995), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, 1997). In 2005, SADC granted Madagascar membership. In addition to belonging to SADC, Angola, DRC, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | ||
| Consumption: | 18,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Exports: | ||
| Imports: | 17,580 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Reserves: | 59 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) | |
| Major fields: |
Namibia - recent news
| 16 Dec 25 |
ReconAfrica has provided a Y/E operational update on the progress of its projects in Namibia, Angola and Gabon Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) has provided a year-end corporate operational update on its projects in Namibia, Angola and Gabon. |
| 11 Dec 25 |
Namibia: Northern Ocean announces contract award for Deepsea Mira Northern Ocean has announced the signing of a contract with a subsidiary of Shell for the Deepsea Mira, commencing operations in Namibia in April 2026. |
| 09 Dec 25 |
Namibia: TotalEnergies concludes agreement with Galp to enter as operator in the prolific PEL 83 license, including the Mopane discovery Under this agreement, TotalEnergies will acquire a 40% operated interest in PEL83 license holding the Mopane discovery, while Galp will acquire a 10% participating interest in PEL56 license holding the Venus discovery. The transaction positions TotalEnergies as the operator of the two largest oil discoveries in Namibia |
| 03 Dec 25 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica announces results at Kavango West 1X well, onshore Namibia Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) has announced the results of the Kavango West 1X well located on Petroleum Exploration Licence ('PEL') 73, onshore Namibia. The well has encountered hydrocarbon pay in the Otavi reservoir section and the Company plans to production test Kavango West 1X in the first quarter of 2026. The well has been temporally abandoned and will be re-entered once testing equipment arrives in Q1 2026. |
| 19 Nov 25 |
Namibia: BW Energy provides second update on Kudu appraisal well BW Energy has completed drilling operations on the Kharas-1 appraisal well in the Kudu license area, offshore Namibia. The well reached a total depth of 5,100m and intersected multiple reservoir intervals. The results confirm, for the first time, the presence of liquid hydrocarbons within the Kudu block. |
Namibia - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
