What our laws say on ownership of oil discoveries

Obeth Mbuipaha Kandjoze A recent response by President Hage Geingob in an Al Jazeera interview that the recent oil discoveries in Namibia’s offshore waters belongs to those with the right to extract, has led to unnecessary outcry locally. The discoveries in question were followed by intensive drilling operations in two wells located 300 KM southwest of the Port of Lüderitz. So, what are the issues at hand? A cursory overview of the applicable legal instruments is paramount for a common understanding about the differences between ownership on the one hand, and rights and obligations on the other. Erring on the…