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

02 Oct 26	Namibia: Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas receives final Ministerial approval for Namibia Licences farm-down to BP Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas has received formal Ministerial approval from the Honourable Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy of Namibia for the transfer and assignment, relating to the Company's previously announced farm down of a 60% Participating interest in all three of its Petroleum Exploration License offshore Namibia to BP Namibia Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of BP Exploration Operating Company.
29 Sep 26	Namibia: ReconAfrica resumes operations at Kavango West 1X ahead of horizontal flow test and provides updates on KW1X flow test samples Reconnaissance Energy Africa has provided an update on the Company’s portfolio of assets, including flow test sample results and flow testing operations on the Kavango West 1X Sidetrack ('KW1X') discovery well in Namibia. Additionally, ReconAfrica announces encouraging results from the soil sampling program conducted in Angola during the second quarter and continued progress of the seismic reprocessing program at Ngulu, offshore Gabon.
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.