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
| 01 Aug 25 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica provides corporate update and announces that the Kavango West 1X well has started drilling Reconnaissance Energy Africa has announced that the Kavango West 1X exploration well is currently drilling and provides a corporate update on ongoing operations. |
| 29 Jul 25 |
Namibia: Pancontinental Energy provides PEL 87 prospective resources upgrade Pancontinental Energy has provided the following update in relation to its estimates of prospective resources for the Company's PEL 87 project, Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. |
| 28 Jul 25 |
Namibia: BW Energy contracts Deepsea Mira for drilling Kudu appraisal well BW Energy, together with NAMCOR E&P, has announced that it has contracted the Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig for the drilling of the Kharas appraisal well on the Kudu licence (PPL003) offshore Namibia in the Orange Basin, scheduled for the second half of 2025. |
| 16 Jul 25 |
Namibia: Giraffe and NAMCOR granted 12-month extension to the second renewal exploration period for PEL 79 Sintana Energy has provided an update regarding Petroleum Exploration License 79 ('PEL 79') which governs Blocks 2815 and 2915 located in Namibia’s Orange Basin. Giraffe is the owner of a 33% interest in PEL 79 and NAMCOR is the operator with a 67% interest. |
| 09 Jul 25 |
Namibia: Northern Ocean signs a contract with a subsidiary of Rhino Resources for the Deepsea Mira for operations in Namibia Northern Ocean has announced the signing of a contract with a subsidiary of Rhino Resources for the Deepsea Mira for operations in Namibia commencing mid-July 2025. The contract includes one firm well for Rhino, one firm well for another operator and three optional wells, with an estimated firm duration of 112 days and a projected value of approx. USD 40 million. |
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
