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
| 03 Sep 26 |
Namibia: TotalEnergies completes its entry as Operator into PEL83 license, holding the giant Mopane discovery TotalEnergies has announced the completion of the transaction concluded with Galp in December 2025, whereby: TotalEnergies acquires from Galp a 40% operated interest in the PEL83 license, holding the Mopane discovery, and Galp acquires from TotalEnergies a 10% participating interest in the PEL56 license, holding the Venus discovery and a 9.39% participating interest in the PEL91 license. |
| 01 Sep 26 |
Namibia: PEL 93 advances to next exploration phase as positive regional results support Basin potential 88 Energy has provided an update on Petroleum Exploration Licence 93 (PEL 93) in Namibia’s onshore Owambo Basin, where the Company holds a fully earned 20% non-operated working interest. The PEL 93 Joint Venture has formally applied to enter the Second Renewal Exploration Period, commencing 3 October 2026, with a proposed work programme that includes preparation for, and drilling of, at least one exploration well during the two-year renewal period. |
| 21 Aug 26 |
Namibia: Sintana Energy announces update on strategic investment in Maravilla Oil and Gas Sintana Energy has announced, further to a previous announcement dated 20 January, 2026, the entry into definitive documentation providing for the acquisition of a 44% interest in Maravilla Oil and Gas, a privately held, Namibian company focused on high-impact opportunities in West Africa. |
| 18 Aug 26 |
Namibia: Equinor joins Chevron in Namibia exploration licence Equinor has signed an agreement with Harmattan Energy, a Chevron subsidiary in Namibia, to acquire a 17.4% participating interest in Petroleum Exploration Licence 90 (PEL 90) in the Orange Basin offshore Namibia. The transaction marks Equinor’s entry into Namibia and the licence provides access to a drill-ready prospect scheduled for testing in 2026. |
| 18 Aug 26 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica announces hydrocarbon flow to surface from the Huttenberg formation at Kavango West 1X Reconnaissance Energy Africa, along with its partners BW Energy (20% WI) and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia ('NAMCOR', 10% carried WI), have announced preliminary production testing results from the three zones in the Huttenberg formation on the Kavango West 1X ('KW1X') discovery well, along with plans to advance to open-hole horizontal production testing. |
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
