Venezuelan energy experts have advised Namibia to create a database of workers with skills across the oil and gas value chain.
Speaking at a public seminar on oil discovery on Thursday, senior Venezuelan exploration adviser Jose Humberto Sánchez shared key lessons on how the country should utilise its oil projects to create employment.
“When we look at a project that is due to start in the next few years, a census takes place to capture the available skilled workers. When workers are not available, we upskill their expertise in anticipation of the project,” he said.
A senior official at the Namibian Institute of Public Administration and Management (Nipam), Metusalem Nakale, said capacity development would determine the country’s ability to benefit from oil discovery.
“Our approach should be sustainable, equitable and people-centred,” he said.
The seminar was organised in collaboration with the embassy of Venezuela, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia.
Speakers emphasised the role of training institutions and universities to address the skills gap in the petroleum and gas industry.
The institutions were urged to draw lessons from other countries, like Venezuela, which have made progress in the sector.
Nipam executive Nashilongo Shivute said the country has made progress in energy skills development.
“Institutions like the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology already do baseline training for mining. There has been too much focus on specialist skills. The technical and vocational workforce is there, we must find ways to capture them,” she said.
Maggy Shino, the oil commissioner at the energy ministry, said: “Education and workforce development are the cornerstone of a sustainable future.”
Namcor senior geologist Alina Narubes said Namibia currently has 34 active exploration licences.
“Namibia has favourable fiscal regimes, coupled with a proven petroleum system which has attracted major oil and gas companies,” she said.
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