South Africa’s (SA) President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed Namibia’s major offshore oil and gas discoveries as a significant economic breakthrough that has drawn global attention and positioned the country as an emerging energy player on the African continent.
Speaking at the fourth session of the SA and Namibia Bi-National Commission in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said the discoveries present new opportunities for regional growth, investment and industrial development.
Co-chairing the session with Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Ramaphosa noted that SA is also exploring the potential of its own offshore energy resources and stressed the importance of closer co-operation between the two neighbouring countries.
He called for strengthened collaboration in areas such as energy exploration, infrastructure development, skills training, technology transfer and investment promotion to ensure that the benefits of the sector contribute to sustainable economic development.
Ramaphosa emphasised that partnerships between SA and Namibia should focus not only on resource extraction but also on developing local industries, improving technical capacity and expanding economic opportunities for citizens in both countries.
–SABC–
