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Staff Writer TotalEnergies has signed agreements to acquire a 42.5% operated interest in the PEL104 exploration licence offshore Namibia from Eight Offshore Investments Holdings and Maravilla Oil & Gas. Once the transaction is completed, TotalEnergies will operate the licence with a 42.5% interest, alongside Petrobras with 42.5%, Namcor with 10%, and Eight Offshore Investments Holdings with 5%.  The PEL104 licence is located in the Lüderitz Basin and covers about 11 000 square kilometres offshore Namibia. “After the acquisition in December of a 40% operated interest in the PEL83 licence, TotalEnergies further strengthens its position in Namibia by entering this new…

Staff Writer Standard Bank Namibia has appointed Helena Mboti as its new group economist. Mboti brings ten years of experience in central banking and commercial banking. Her background spans macroeconomic policy, financial markets and balance-sheet risk. She previously worked at the Central Bank, where she served as an economist in the research department before moving to the financial stability department as an analyst. Her work covered monetary and financial statistics, macroprudential analysis, systemic risk assessment; and financial stability monitoring. This exposed her to monetary policy formulation and risk assessment across Namibia’s financial system. Mboti later joined the FirstRand Namibia Group,…

Namibia’s newly established Upstream Petroleum Unit (UPU), operating directly under the Presidency, has confirmed its participation at the 8th Namibia International Energy Conference (NIEC), taking place from April 14 to 16 in Windhoek.  As Namibia edges closer to first oil, the Petroleum Unit’s involvement signals the government’s commitment to shaping upstream policy, fostering investment and promoting partnership between regulators and industry. The UPU, led by Kornelia Shilunga, Special Advisory and Head, and Carlo McLeod, Special Advisor and Deputy Head, is responsible for overseeing the country’s upstream petroleum sector. Established within the Presidency, the Unit develops regulatory frameworks, monitors compliance and…

Staff Writer The South African wine industry has gathered for the annual Wine Harvest Commemorative Event to honour excellence, heritage and innovation.  The event also marked the blessing of the 2026 grape harvest and commemorated 367 years since the birth of the country’s wine industry. South Africa remains unique among wine-producing nations because it can trace the exact origin of its wine industry to a diary entry dated 2 February 1659.  The entry reads: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” Clifford van der Venter, chairperson of the Groot Constantia Trust, said…