Namibia’s onshore potential to be highlighted at NIEC 2026 in Windhoek

Namibia is preparing to host its annual Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC 2026) on April 14 – 16 in Windhoek. The event is being organised in partnership with the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy and the African Energy Chamber (AEC) under the theme, “The Road to First Oil & Beyond.”

While Namibia’s recent offshore oil and gas developments continue to attract most of the global attention, the conference also gives onshore explorers an opportunity to present their progress, build partnerships and connect with investors looking to diversify beyond deepwater opportunities.

According to the AEC, NIEC 2026 offers tangible opportunities for onshore licence holders to progress farm-in discussions, secure technical and financial partners and align exploration timelines with national development priorities.

“Onshore Namibia presents a compelling proposition, particularly in the current global investment climate. Compared with deepwater developments, onshore exploration offers significantly lower drilling and operating costs, shorter project timelines and greater flexibility during appraisal,” the AEC said in a media statement.

The Chamber believes that these advantages help reduce risk while allowing operators to test frontier plays more efficiently, a key factor given that by international standard Namibia’s onshore basins remain underexplored.

The most significant current onshore exploration activity is taking place in the Kavango Basin by Canadian oil and gas explorer ReconAfrica (TSXV: RECO, OTCQX: RECAF). In December 2025, the company drilled its Kavango West 1X well to about 4,200 metres, encountering hydrocarbons across several intervals and identifying additional shows at deeper levels.

Although the well has not yet entered production, the results confirmed a functioning petroleum system and marked an important milestone for Namibia’s onshore sector. ReconAfrica plans to carry out production testing in early 2026 to assess whether the discoveries can flow at commercial rates.

The company also holds extensive onshore acreage across Namibia and neighbouring Angola, providing a significant scope for further drilling and potential partnerships, says the AEC.

In the meantime, the Owambo Basin, located further to the west, is emerging as another frontier area. Exploration activities under Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 93 in the basin are led by joint ventures, which include Australian unconventional oil and gas company 88 Energy (ASX: 88E, AIM: 88E), UK-based independent firm Monitor Exploration, and Namibia-focused upstream company Legend Oil Namibia. According to the AEC, early surveys have identified promising structural leads within a rift-related petroleum system. Further seismic acquisition and data interpretation work is planned to continue through 2026.

“Looking ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for Namibia’s onshore ambitions,” the AEC said. “These programmes are aimed at reducing exploration risk and supporting investment decisions at a time when African onshore oil and gas spending is forecast to rise, driven by demand for lower-cost, shorter-cycle developments.”