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Tuesday, 23 June 2026
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Tuesday, 23 June 2026
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Namibian press · Event

Petroleum Amendment Bill

Also known as: Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill

2026-02-062026-06-23
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In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. February 2026

  2. New Era

    Rudolf Gaiseb Andreas Thomas Independent Patriots for Change leader Panduleni Itula has rejected the Petroleum Amendment Bill and called for its immediate withdrawal. …

    Divided by oil

  3. The Namibian

    … The petroleum amendment bill deserves careful pause, deeper public engagement, and clearer justification before it is rushed into law. …

    Pause the Petroleum Amendment Bill: Why Namibia Must Take Time to Get It Right

  4. New Era

    … Legal framework Energy, oil, and gas lawyer, Shakwa Nyambe, managing partner at SNC Incorporated, has urged Parliament to move quickly on the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill. …

    Govt unaware of TotalEnergies, Petrobras deal

  5. New Era

    … While talking about this, Ngaringombe spoke of the Petroleum Amendment Bill that redirects some power of the oil industry from the minister to the President. …

    Trump ‘responds' to Swartbooi's massive …MPs react to NNN criticism
Mining & Energy

PM defends petroleum bill as Parliament debates worker protections

The News

Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has defended the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, saying it is necessary to safeguard Namibia's oil and gas industry and manage petroleum resources in the national interest. Ngurare urged lawmakers to put aside political differences and support the legislation, citing the unanimous bipartisan passage of the original Petroleum Act in 1991, while noting that debate has focused on criticism of placing the Upstream Petroleum Unit under the Presidency rather than on how citizens will benefit from newly discovered resources.

Why it matters

Prime Minister's defence of the Petroleum Amendment Bill in parliament highlights ongoing debate over resource management and presidential authority in the energy sector.

19 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Friday 19 June

  1. PM defends petroleum bill as Parliament debates worker protections

    Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has defended the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, saying it is necessary to safeguard Namibia's oil and gas industry and manage petroleum resources in the national interest. Ngurare urged lawmakers to put aside political differences and support the legislation, citing the unanimous bipartisan passage of the original Petroleum Act in 1991, while noting that debate has focused on criticism of placing the Upstream Petroleum Unit under the Presidency rather than on how citizens will benefit from newly discovered resources.

    19 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Tuesday 12 May

  1. Oil and gas investor backs petroleum reform bill

    Namibian oil and gas investor Knowledge Katti has issued a statement supporting the Petroleum Amendment Bill and the proposed Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Office of the President, arguing the reforms are necessary to strengthen oversight, attract investment, and accelerate Namibia's transition to oil production.

    12 May 2026 · Informanté →

Monday 11 May

  1. Businessman calls for Parliament backing of oil sector reforms

    Knowledge Katti has urged Parliament and national leaders to support the creation of the Upstream Petroleum Unit (UPU) and the Petroleum Amendment Bill, arguing these reforms are necessary to help Namibia transition from oil exploration to production and address long-standing governance challenges in the sector.

    11 May 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Friday 8 May

  1. Namibia's offshore oil and gas sector attracts international exploration interest

    Namibia's offshore oil and gas sector continues to draw international interest, with a hydrocarbon licence map showing growing exploration activity across coastal basins and frontier areas. Multiple international oil companies hold exploration licences, with newly allocated blocks involving companies such as Baobab Energy, Elephant Oil, and others, while the offshore Orange Basin remains the main focus following recent major oil discoveries.

    8 May 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Friday 27 March

  1. Speaker defends parliamentary rulings as consistent application of rules

    Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has responded to opposition criticism—particularly from Popular Democratic Movement legislator Inna Hengari—that she arbitrarily interrupts members and rules them out of order, saying her interventions are constitutional duties applying Parliament's own Standing Rules consistently and without exception, not personal acts.

    27 March 2026 · New Era →

Friday 27 February

  1. Petroleum Bill risks weakening oversight by shifting power to Presidency

    An opinion piece argues that the proposed Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, which would move upstream oil governance from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to the Office of the President, poses constitutional and accountability risks by concentrating discretion outside parliamentary scrutiny and historical safeguards. The author proposes instead creating an independent, specialised upstream regulator outside the Presidency, strengthening conflict-of-interest rules, operationalising dormant accountability laws, and equipping Parliament with resources to oversee the sector.

    27 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 25 February

  1. President challenges Itula to prove oil sector family links

    President Nandi-Ndaitwah has challenged Independent Patriots for Change leader Panduleni Itula to provide empirical evidence linking her family to Namibia's upstream oil sector, reiterating her denial of direct or indirect interests. Itula held his third oil-related press conference in less than three weeks, presenting what he termed documented evidence of a systematic network involving the president's sons and husband across the petroleum value chain, including fuel imports, distribution, and investments.

    25 February 2026 · New Era →

  2. President demands IPC leader prove petroleum industry claims

    President Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on IPC leader Dr Panduleni Itula to provide credible and verifiable evidence for allegations that her son holds stakes in Namibia's petroleum industry. The Presidency dismissed the claims and clarified that the Petroleum Amendment Bill before Parliament applies strictly to upstream petroleum activities.

    25 February 2026 · Informanté →

Monday 23 February

  1. NEFF backs President authority over petroleum decisions

    The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters supports the Petroleum Amendment Bill, which would transfer core upstream petroleum powers from the responsible minister to the President. NEFF parliamentarian Kalimbo Iipumbu said the President must have final approval authority over petroleum sector decisions to protect the industry from regulatory capture and ensure it serves the people, though the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy should remain the primary technical and regulatory body.

    23 February 2026 · New Era →

Thursday 19 February

  1. Parliamentary debate on presidential power over petroleum industry bill

    The Petroleum Amendment Bill, which would vest petroleum sector oversight powers in the Office of the President rather than the Ministry of Mines and Energy, faced mixed scrutiny in the National Assembly. Critics including Bernadus Swartbooi raised concerns about the legal doctrine of functus officio limiting presidential review powers and complicating court challenges, while others questioned whether oil advisors at State House are already performing duties that legally belong to the ministry.

    19 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 11 February

  1. Opposition parties split over Petroleum Amendment Bill governance

    Namibian opposition leaders have divided over a proposed amendment to transfer upstream petroleum powers from the mines and energy minister to the Office of the President. While the government argues the change will strengthen governance of the emerging oil and gas sector, opposition figures including IPC leader Panduleni Itula, APP's Imms Nashinge, and PDM's McHenry Venaani warn that the shift risks undermining parliamentary oversight, constitutional separation of powers, and regulatory accountability.

    11 February 2026 · New Era →

  2. Opinion: Pause petroleum bill for deeper public engagement

    A media studies student argues that Namibia's petroleum amendment bill deserves careful pause and broader public consultation before passing, warning that rushing legislation risks serving short-term interests rather than long-term national benefit and noting cautionary lessons from past governance failures including the Fishrot scandal and Marine Resources Act.

    11 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 10 February

  1. Government criticises TotalEnergies–Petrobras deal approval process

    The Namibian government has challenged a TotalEnergies–Petrobras agreement to acquire controlling stakes in Petroleum Exploration Licence 104 offshore, stating it was informed only minutes before the public announcement and was not formally consulted despite legal requirements for ministerial approval. The ministry stressed that all petroleum transactions require prior approval under Namibian law and reaffirmed its commitment to regulatory compliance and transparency as the country's oil sector develops.

    10 February 2026 · New Era →

Friday 6 February

  1. LPM says Trump responded to Swartbooi letter; MPs praise presidential address

    The Landless People's Movement confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to a letter from party leader Bernadus Clinton Swartbooi sent during last year's election claiming minority groups faced discrimination and pressure in Namibia. Meanwhile, several parliamentarians reacted positively to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's recent address, though some cautioned that scrutiny of pending bills—particularly the Petroleum Amendment Bill—is essential before passage.

    6 February 2026 · New Era →

Petroleum Amendment Bill — Namibian press coverage · Namibia Minute