Swapo Party Member of Parliament Willem Amutenya has suggested that Namibia must use its emerging oil and gas industry to grow the economy while expanding renewable energy to power the country's future.

Speaking on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Amutenya cautioned against decisions that could leave Namibia tied to fossil fuels for decades.

With major oil and gas discoveries putting Namibia on the path to becoming a petroleum producer, Namibia now faces an important decision: how to benefit from its natural resources without compromising its transition to cleaner energy.

Amutenya believes Norway offers an example worth considering.

He said Namibia could benefit from the oil wealth of countries such as Norway without following the same path of dependence on fossil fuels.

Despite being one of the world's major oil and gas exporters, Norway generates almost all its electricity from renewable sources, mainly hydropower.

Amutenya stated that Namibia should pursue a similar approach by using income from petroleum resources to support economic development while increasing renewable electricity generation.

Amutenya also warned Namibia against entering into long-term energy agreements or investing in infrastructure that could make it difficult to shift towards renewable energy.

Such commitments, he believes, could limit the country's energy choices and affect its ability to access international climate financing.
Namibia has set a target of generating at least 70% of its domestically produced electricity from renewable sources by 2030.