Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, has emphasized the importance of Namibia’s policy environment, particularly its institutional and political aspects, in ensuring that the discovery of oil and gas becomes a blessing for the country.

Alweendo made these remarks at the National Stakeholder Workshop on the Draft Local Content Policy (LCP) held in Windhoek.

He said the ministry is dedicated to safeguarding the country’s resources and implementing policies that will enable all Namibians to benefit.

Alweendo stressed that inclusivity and transparency should be key guiding principles during the policy drafting process, saying merely putting policies on paper is not enough and the actual implementation should ensure ethical operations across the board.

“I am also equally aware that designing an LCP is complex and that each LCP must reflect our realities and priorities. We need an LCP that will facilitate economic diversification and deepen backward and forward linkages from various segments of the oil and gas sector value chain, thereby fast-tracking our industrialisation,” he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency