- Canadian company ReconAfrica has reported that it has struck a massive oil field in northern Namibia, one of the biggest onshore finds in decades.
- ReconAfrica began exploratory drilling in January this year and has been optimistic that the Kavango Basin could contain up to 31 billion barrels of crude oil.
Canadian company ReconAfrica has reported that it has struck a massive oil field in northern Namibia, one of the biggest onshore finds in decades. ReconAfrica began exploratory drilling in January this year and has been optimistic that the Kavango Basin could contain up to 31 billion barrels of crude oil. Drilling of three test wells were approved by the Namibian government. In April, the company announced it has discovered a “working petroleum system’. A second test well has been drilled and seismic surveys are being conducted to evaluate the viability of potential oil production. Namibian Energy Minister Thomas Alweendo hailed the company’s announcement as promising a “great period for the people of Namibia’ with potential for job creation and poverty alleviation.
But locals and environmentalists are apprehensive about the ecological effects of drilling in the water-scarce region and for the over 200,000 people who live there. It is feared that the oil boom could endanger the Okavango Delta. The region suffers from water scarcity despite its relative proximity to the perennial Okavango River.
ReconAfrica has licensed drilling areas in northern Namibia and Botswana that cover over 35,000 square kilometers that overlap with the continent’s largest multi-country conservation park, the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area (KAZA). This includes land in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The area also includes six wildlife reserves. The licensed area is also close to the world-famous Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Namibia’s Khaudum National Park, which is home to thousands of elephants. Many experts view oil drilling as an intrusion and a threat to an important biodiversity hotspot that includes elephants, predators, and many unique floras.
