By Nishi Felton
Africa-Press – Namibia. The United States (US) sees potential for Namibia to take on a bigger role in global energy security. US ambassador to Namibia John Giordano said this during the Powering Africa Summit held in Washington DC on Thursday.
“Countries capable of producing strategic minerals and energy resources at scale are becoming central to the security of global supply chains and the reliability of future power systems. Namibia is a prime example of this,” Giordano said.
He said Namibia’s position as the third-largest uranium producer and its emerging oil and gas sector place the country at the forefront of global energy security.
Giordano said the world was moving towards derisking from “vulnerable supply chokepoints,” referencing the ongoing war in the Middle East that stopped the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
As Namibia’s role in the global energy supply grows, Giordano said the US would aim to position itself as a partner to help develop the industry.
“My focus is ensuring American companies are positioned early, and that US strategy translates into real projects on the ground – projects that reinforce supply chain resilience, resource independence and reciprocal investment,” he said.
Namibia’s nuclear energy and mineral and oil resources could make the country a partner to America’s goal of revitalising its industrial strength.
The ambassador listed American companies already operating in Namibia, including oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil and oil field service companies Baker Hughes, Halliburton and SLB.
The country’s infrastructure also holds potential. According to Giordano, Walvis Bay could emerge as a security and logistics hub for the entirety of southern Africa. “With one of Africa’s most coherent export-oriented infrastructure systems, including high quality roads, ports and logistics corridors, Namibia holds an outsized position on the global minerals and energy map,” he said.
The Powering Africa Summit is an annual event designed to connect American investors and institutions to African energy markets.
Source: The Namibian
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