The Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, says there is a need to create an environment where Namibians can have local ownership of investment in the mining and petroleum sectors.

Alweendo was speaking at the Debmarine Stakeholder Breakfast Meeting in Windhoek today.

He explained that in order for Namibians to benefit economically from these sectors, it is necessary to first determine where the resources are located (exploration).

Namibia's economic and social future was the focus of a two-day conference that was held in Windhoek and organized by the Namibia Institute of Corporate Governance.

The conference was an opportunity to discuss practical solutions to help Namibia achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo says a team of experts is investigating the alleged illegal mining and exploitation of natural resources near Uis.

The community petitioned a Chinese-owned company, Tangshan Xingfeng, last week and alleged that the operations at the mine were damaging the environment.

Residents of Uis expressed anger at the Chinese company, which mines minerals about 70 kilometers from the settlement.

Namibia now has a Green Hydrogen Strategy, which it will use to establish an effective operational structure, develop a strong and embedded network of partners, and create shared prosperity for all.

At the launch, Minister of Mines and Energy Tom Alweendo said the strategy will establish an appropriate and fit-for-purpose structure to help develop the green hydrogen industry.

It will also provide a direction for planning, procuring, and monitoring future green hydrogen projects to be developed on state-owned land.

The National Planning Commission's Director General, Obeth Kandjoze, has confirmed to nbc News that the allegations made public by AR Activist Dr Job Amupanda about the terms being negotiated by the government with a German company, HYPHEN, which won the Hydrogen Tender, are true.

But Kandjoze was also quick to point out that those terms are still drafts and negotiations are at an infant stage.

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, has vehemently denied allegations of benefiting from a N$50 million bribery scandal in kickbacks and unduly awarded mining licenses to undeserving companies.

Alweendo informed journalists during a briefing that he did not receive a single cent, saying his only role in awarding licenses of any nature is merely to issue award letters to successful applicants by recommendation of experts, describing such allegations as malicious and devoid of any truth.

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, has vehemently denied allegations of benefiting from N$50 million in unduly awarded mining licenses for proxies.

Alweendo informed journalists during a briefing that he did not receive a single cent, saying his only role in awarding licenses of any nature is merely to issue award letters to successful applicants by recommendation of experts after strict criteria have been applied.

The Namibian government is busy training locals and equipping them to develop the oil and gas industries, benchmarking off Qatar.

Mines and Energy Minister, Tom Alweendo, says the training is facilitated through the Petroleum Training and Education Fund.

The governments of Namibia and Zambia have signed an agreement to facilitate the construction of a pipeline for oil and gas products.

The pipeline project, which will be led by the private sector, is expected to address energy poverty in Southern Africa.

The agreement was signed at the 10th session of the Namibia-Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Co-operation at Swakopmund.

The oil and gas pipeline will stretch from Zambia to the port of Walvis Bay, promoting the harbour as a logistics hub in Southern Africa.