Several critical reforms in policies and legislation are needed in the oil and gas industry to enable local participation in the sector and reap maximum returns from the country’s resources says energy expert Uaapi Utjavari. Saying that, at present, Namibians’ participation in the industry is at the mercy of operators who have no legal obligation to include locals in their operations, Utjavari told the Namibia press agency that “our policies should accommodate Namibians to participate in the oil and gas industry so that one day, we can be like the Nigerians and have a full company owned by Namibians, running the [oil] business”.
