A delegation from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources of Namibia, led by Chairperson Dr. Tobie Aupindi, has successfully completed a benchmarking visit to Ghana, aimed at fostering mutual cooperation and gaining insights into the West African nation’s oil and gas sector governance and management practices.
During the visit, the delegation held meetings with key institutions, including the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), and the Ministry of Energy, Lands and Natural Resources.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the delegation toured the National Fuel Monitoring Command Centre at the NPA and engaged in discussions on petroleum governance, operational structures, and systems that enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
The visit was part of a benchmarking exercise, which in the oil and gas industry involves comparing organizational performance to the best practices in the sector to identify opportunities for improvement.
Namibia, which is preparing for a major expansion of its upstream oil and gas industry, seeks to adopt lessons from Ghana’s experiences in petroleum management, governance, and infrastructure.
Ghana’s petroleum sector has grown steadily since the discovery of oil in commercial quantities at the Jubilee fields in 2007. Its only state-owned refinery, the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), which had been largely inactive for years, is now generating around USD 21 million in seven months from storage and terminal operations, demonstrating strong economic potential even before full-scale crude oil refining resumes.
Major new investments in the Jubilee and TEN fields, announced in June 2025 by companies including Kosmos Energy, are set to fund the drilling of up to 20 new wells, improving the sector’s long-term prospects.
The sector is dominated by international oil companies such as Tullow Ghana, Vitol, Kosmos Energy, and ENI, with support from subcontractors including Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Weatherford, Ocean Rig, and Technip FMC. Upstream activities include crude oil procurement and refining at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), while downstream operations focus on marketing and distribution of petroleum products.
The Ghanaian government plans to restart crude refining at TOR by the end of 2025, aiming to meet 60% of local crude consumption, reduce the annual USD 10.2 billion oil import bill, and stabilize fuel prices.
For Namibia, the visit comes at a pivotal time. The country’s upstream oil and gas sector is poised for rapid transformation following major discoveries in the Orange Basin in 2022 and 2023, including the Graff-1, Venus-1, and Jonker-1X projects, which have attracted global oil majors such as TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil, as well as multinational firms including
Galp and QatarEnergy.
According to NAMCOR, Namibia’s offshore Orange Basin holds an estimated 11 billion barrels of light oil and 2.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
QatarEnergy has strengthened its presence in Namibia by acquiring a 27.5% working interest in PEL0090 and Block 2813B, while Harmattan Energy Limited retains 52.5% and serves as operator, with NAMCOR and Trago Energy Limited each holding 10%. Namibia’s geopolitical stability, relatively low corruption ranking (59/180), and regional experience with deepwater FPSO development make it an attractive investment destination.
Analysts note that proven commercial viability of Namibia’s offshore fields could unlock unprecedented revenue for the government, potentially more than doubling the country’s GDP by 2040. The visit to Ghana provides Namibian lawmakers with insights on petroleum governance, operational efficiency, and sector regulation that could help guide the development of Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry
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