Justicia Shipena
The National Assembly has put on hold a proposal that seeks to shift key powers under the Petroleum Act from the minister of industries, mines and energy to the President.
The amendment would give President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah authority to grant, renew, or revoke oil and gas exploration licences and production rights.
The move was shelved after interim minister of industries, mines and energy Frans Kapofi asked the house on Wednesday to allow him to table a bill on it as urgent.
The speaker of the National Assembly, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, would have had to adjust the order of the day to accommodate it, but the request drew immediate resistance from opposition lawmakers.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Inna Hengari questioned the urgency and asked that the bill be postponed to March next year.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) member of parliament Milunga Elvis Lizazi backed her proposal.
He said there was no justification for rushing the amendment when experts had told lawmakers that Namibia would only begin commercial oil production in about ten years.
“Only after 10 years – that is when you are going to sell a drop of oil in Namibia. Where is the agency for this?” he asked.
Lizazi said parliament should not set aside a bill already at an advanced stage to prioritise one brought by the executive.
He warned that lawmakers must not act as if they answer to the executive.
“It feels like, whatever comes from the executive, we must push it because it’s coming from the executive. We hope this law that you are pushing, that you give the power to one individual, is not going to be a curse to this country,” he said.
The bill Kapofi wanted to table also repeals the former role of the commissioner for petroleum affairs.
It introduces new transparency rules, including annual reporting to the National Assembly by June 30 for all remissions, deferrals, or refunds of petroleum royalties.
It expands conflict-of-interest provisions to apply to staff and inspectors of the new unit, and it requires senior officials to disclose assets and interests to the President.
Some members of parliament, however, supported Kapofi, including deputy minister of defence and veterans affairs Charles Mubita.
Mubita said the amendment should be treated as urgent because it addresses governance issues in the petroleum sector.
“It’s simply because this bill calls for transformation. It’s a question of transforming an existing instrument of government and ensuring proper governance of the petroleum industry. That’s all that the bill is talking about,” he said.
He said urgency is tied to strengthening governance and speeding up transformation.
“For me, those two words make me believe that this is an urgent bill and needs to be considered as urgent. Not only important, but also urgent,” he said.
Kapofi contended that the President’s newly created administrative structure requires the amendment to function.
“This is an administrative instrument that we need to put in place to spearhead the processes that we set in motion. It can only be done effectively with this law,” he said.
He added that the executive is not claiming to care more about the sector than Parliament, but the President needs a legal tool to carry out her mandate.
“This instrument is necessarily required to effectively allow the President of the country to carry that mandate she has been given by the people of this country,” he said.
He explained that the urgency stems from the constitutional changes introduced by Nandi-Ndaitwah, which now necessitate legal alignment.
“This urgency came about because of the changes that were introduced, constitutionally introduced by the President. As such, in order for this to be given the force of law, we brought this instrument to you,” he said.
After taking office, Nandi-Ndaitwah established the Upstream Petroleum Unit in the Presidency and placed the upstream petroleum sector under her care.
Last month, she fired Natangue Ithete as minister of industries, mines and energy, briefly took over the ministry herself, and later appointed Kapofi as acting minister.
Kapofi said the executive is not attempting to “bulldose anything” and urged MPs to reflect on the need for the amendment.
He said if the house believes there is no urgency or need to assign these powers to the President, “then I don’t know,” but said the bill remains urgent to him.
After the back and forth, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila ruled that the bill will not be treated as urgent. She said the decision reflects the mood of the house.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila then further ruled for the bill to stay on the agenda and be taken up after the recess.
The National Assembly went on early recess yesterday due to the upcoming regional council and local authority elections. It will resume on 3 February 2026.
