The Norwegian-African Business Association (NABA) has pledged to expand business interest in Namibia, including the oil and gas industries.
NABA and the Norwegian Energy Partners business delegation paid a courtesy call on President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at State House on Friday.
The delegation was led by Norwegian Ambassador Gjermund Saether.
The business delegation shared that local content and employment remain central in the development of the oil and gas sector.
Ambassador Saether said Namibia could draw success lessons from Norway on the path that country took to develop its industries and its social benefit strategies.
"So, developing our resources in Norway, we faced some of the dilemmas that Namibia faces today. We were a poor country on the outskirts of Europe; we didn't have the skills needed to extract oil and gas from the ocean. We needed to find this balance in having foreign companies with expertise coming in, at the same time, making sure that this is a national resource. I think we have made some mistakes; we have done some things right, but I think there is always that activity, and the investment must be beneficial for all parties – for the government, for the general population and also for the private sector – so that they get the returns. Job creation is very important. When we look at today, it was the revenue stream that changed Norway."
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah appreciated the delegation for its interest in doing business with Namibia.
"You are here to discover what we can do together. The only thing I can tell you is that Namibia, we are ready for business; we are ready for investment, both local and international. The only thing we can do is to create a conducive environment for the business and business personalities to do their work comfortably. The critical one really is to ensure peace and stability, which we have been doing and will continue. But when unemployment keeps going up, I don't know when people will lose patience, so as you are coming, I want to tell you that my focus is job creation, and that is where I would like investors to meet that objective."
The Norwegian-African Business Association and the Energy Partners were in the country to attend the Namibia International Energy Conference 2025, held in Windhoek.