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Namibia, Zambia partner in 2 000km fuel pipeline plan


IF all goes well, Namibia will be supplying Zambia with over 100 000 barrels of fuel a day through a 2 000km oil and gas pipeline stretching from Walvis Bay to Lusaka.

The plan was launched with the signing of an agreement on the Cooperation in Facilitating Private-Sector Development and Implementation of an Oil Products and Natural Gas Pipeline Project (Nazop) yesterday.

It was officiated by the two countries’ energy ministers on the last day of the 10th session of the Namibia-Zambia joint permanent commission of cooperation at Swakopmund.

Zambian energy minister Peter Kapala said the primary focus of the agreement is to enhance economic cooperation between the two governments in the energy subsector.

“Petroleum and its derivatives are driving engines of growth and development of our economies, especially considering the logistics and transport industry,” he said.

He said the two governments, with their private partners, will work together to assess the cost and viability of the project to secure financing.

This will be followed by environmental and social impact assessments.

“Given the volatility of oil prices, we need to take advantage of the means to reduce the cost of delivering petroleum products to our people.

“Our two countries have achieved this milestone to partner on the development of such a key infrastructure,” Kapala said.

Namibia’s minister of mines and energy, Tom Alweendo, said the agreement enables the two governments to facilitate the private sector in creating the pipeline.

According to him, the agreement with Zambia could serve as a basis for the extension of the supply line to other countries in the region, with specific mention made of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“This project will be a great example of the vision of cooperation in the region, and the agreement is a great example of how we live up to this vision,” he said.

Alweendo said 600 million Africans have no access to electricity, and that for the next few decades, gas is going to be one of the biggest sources of energy on the continent, and for this reason, the right infrastructure must be in place to ensure the resource is distributed.

“This is the best way to unlock the potential of this resource value to the region,” he said.

The minister reiterated the important role of the relationship between the public and private sectors in the realisation of the initiative.

“The agreement makes provision for a joint technical committee that will be responsible to work with the private sector in identifying the exact assistance that will be needed. Although this is a private sector-led project, our two governments accept that our economies will grow and industrialise better and quicker when we have strong private-sector involvement.

“We also understand that our economies will flourish when there is collaboration between the government and the private sector,” Alweendo said.

Deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said the success of the cooperation should not be judged on the number of agreements signed, but on their implementation and impact on the livelihoods of citizens.





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