The highly popular Namibia Oil & Gas Conference (NOGC) returns to Windhoek from 20-22 August for the second year. 

This innovative, thought-provoking conference offers two days of strategic discussions, excellent networking opportunities, insightful conversations and more than 60 speakers. Running under the theme, The Next Step Towards A Prosperous Oil And Gas Industry To Power Namibia’s Sustainable Future – it is the ideal place for local and global investors to connect, create partnerships and sign deals. 

The Namibia Oil & Gas Conference is hosted by the Economic Association of Namibia, in partnership with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, in strategic partnership with the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) and SNC Incorporated and with the endorsement of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Namibia.

We chatted with one of the prominent NOGC speakers, Ibrahima Talla, the Chief Operating Officer of Invest in Africa.  A business analyst and local content expert, Talla is also the founder of the African Content Forum. 

He shared some insights into the importance of local content. “Local content is critical to sustainable development through any industry. Apart from government revenues through State participation in projects, local content is the only way for nationals to benefit from the extraction, processing, or trading of their country’s natural resources. This is done through engaging the local private sector into the industry supply chain and the employment of the national workforce.”

According to Talla, the main challenge remains the gap between industry requirements and local capacity regarding skills, finance, compliance, and technology. He adds, “Local content development is a continuous process that promotes economic growth by producing employment, supporting local companies, and providing income to the government while improving the capabilities of the local workforce and filling gaps in the business area. The most effective way to support local content development is through coordinated programmes that involve all stakeholders. Working with multinational corporations, capacity builders, local SME associations, and finance institutions on these programmes guarantees the burden of supporting local content is shared and does not rely on one party’s shoulders.”

He urged people to attend the NOGC saying, “This event is one of the few in the region that brings to the same place government officials, energy companies, investors, and industry experts from across Africa and beyond. This is the prime venue to explore potential partnerships and investment opportunities, and to learn about Namibia’s policy to enhance local participation in energy projects.”