Namibia was officially welcomed at the Council of Ministers Ordinary Session on Friday in Luanda, Angola, by deputy minister of mining and energy Kornelia Shilunga.
Appo now has 18 members, including newcomers Senegal and Namibia as well as observer member Venezuela.
The organisation was founded in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1987 to provide a forum for collaboration, coordination, and the sharing of knowledge and skills among African oil-producing nations. The organization’s secretary general is Omar Ibrahim.
Due to oil discoveries made off the Namibian coast by TotalEnergies and Shell, the nation is now rubbing elbows with major players in several industries.
When asked about Namibia joining Opec, energy ministry spokesperson Andreas Simon said it may take Namibia close to seven years to join the international oil-regulating body.
“It will take us some time, because we are still at the preliminary stage. But what we can say is that oil has been found – especially along the Orange River,” he said.
Simon said assessments of the oil discoveries are still being done and the results are still pending.
“Opec is for countries that export oil. We do not export oil yet. We first need to start producing before we are part of Opec. If things go well, we will start producing in the next five to seven years,” he said.
Appraisal programmes are being conducted to determine how viable and valuable the oil is in terms of grade, whether it conforms to market standards, and at what price it could be sold.
