The Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy (MIME) and the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) have signed an agreement to strengthen the regulation and quality control of petroleum fuels in Namibia.

The three-year agreement establishes a framework for cooperation in petroleum fuel quality, compliance, testing and inspection.

The Executive Director in the Ministry, Moses Pakote, says the partnership will also support the development of national testing infrastructure, including a petrochemical testing laboratory.

"As part of our contribution to the implementation of NDP6 objectives on economic growth and job creation as an enabling ministry, together with the Namibia Standards Institution, we are laying the foundation for a stronger growing economy, a safer consumer environment and a more competitive nation."

The ministry says the agreement is expected to strengthen consumer protection, improve enforcement of national standards and help combat issues such as fuel dumping, smuggling and tax evasion.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Namibian Standards Institution, Eino Mvula, says the institution has already established a technical committee on petroleum products and is developing standards that will support the implementation of regulations in the downstream oil sector.

"It's a very exciting moment that we are here to sign this memorandum of understanding as well as the SLA, which basically signifies the important way forward in terms of how we would want to develop infrastructure in Namibia, particularly with regard to the enforcement of legislation and regulations in the downstream oil sector."

Dr. Mvula says the NSI has also recruited chemists and metrologists and is preparing the procedures and technical capacity required to conduct fuel testing locally.

The initiative is expected to improve accurate measurement of fuel volumes for revenue collection, with the parties aiming to have localised testing capacity operational next year.