By Benjamin Wickham
RUNDU, April 18 — In August 2021, African Energy Chamber Chairman NJ Ayuk wrote an op-ed about the promise of exploratory drilling by Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (“ReconAfrica”) in the Kavango Basin of northeast Namibia and northwest Botswana. Six months after ReconAfrica released preliminary data from exploratory wells confirming an active petroleum system with the potential to generate billions of barrels of petroleum on just 12% of its footprint, the company obtained a 100% interest in a petroleum license in northwest Botswana spanning approximately 2.2 million acres. Additionally, the company acquired a 90% interest in the petroleum exploration license in northeast Namibia, covering approximately 6.3 million acres, with Namibia’s national oil company, NAMCOR, holding the remaining 10%.
While these developments could provide economic growth and energy security in Namibia, environmental groups are blasting the project and the idea of oil and gas activity in the Kavango Basin, which includes six wildlife reserves and is home to a number of endangered species. However, Ayuk pointed out that ReconAfrica had committed to protecting the environment where it worked and that the opportunities its discovery represented for the people of that region were far too important to sacrifice.
In response to these concerns, Rolling Stone magazine published an article titled “Will an Oil Racket Destroy One of Africa’s Most Sacred Places?” by Jeff Goodell in March. The article alternates between accusing ReconAfrica of lying about its initial findings in the Kavango Basin and noting that ReconAfrica’s large discovery holds enough oil to “cook the planet like a marshmallow.” Goodell suggests that ReconAfrica fabricated its discovery in the Kavango Basin to make big bucks and describes how the company is going to destroy heaven on earth by producing oil there. Goodell’s article takes a shot at oil and gas production in Africa as a whole, arguing that it is poised to kick off an oil-and-gas boom in Africa just when it has become clear to most scientists and political leaders that, to maintain a hospitable climate, fossil fuels need to stay in the ground.
The African Energy Chamber stands by its previous statements and believes that oil and gas production in Namibia and Botswana is not about greed but rather about the opportunity for the people there. It is not ushering in disaster, but rather opening the door to energy security and long-term, sustainable economic growth. The accusations against ReconAfrica smack of a “let’s throw everything we can at ReconAfrica and see what sticks” kind of strategy. The argument that ReconAfrica’s operations in Botswana and Namibia amount to nothing more than an elaborate con is simply not true.
The article also touches on the troubling reference to neocolonialism in Goodell’s original headline, “The Neocolonial Oil Racket.” This suggests that former colonial powers are exerting indirect control over African countries, which is an inaccurate representation of ReconAfrica’s dealings with Botswana and Namibia. The African Energy Chamber finds the condescending and manipulative content in the article concerning, particularly in the way that Goodell describes the business dealings of ReconAfrica founder Craig Steinke and Namibia’s national oil company.
Overall, the article suggests that while environmental concerns must be taken seriously, ReconAfrica’s operations in Botswana and Namibia have the potential to benefit the people of the region through job creation, economic growth, and energy security. The accusations against the company and the argument against oil and gas production in Africa as a whole are misguided and not based on factual evidence. – Namibia Daily News
