By Benjamin Wickham
WINDHOEK, May 5 — On May 5, 2023, SLB (NYSE: SLB), a global technology company, officially opened its new office in Windhoek, Namibia, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the country’s energy ambitions by driving new frontier exploration and development, both on and offshore. SLB has been operating in Namibia for over 50 years, and with the inauguration of this new office, the company aims to focus on developing local Namibian talent through university collaborations, local recruitment, and accelerated training programs, with a target of achieving 70% Namibian workforce by 2028, with a 45% gender balance.
At the inauguration ceremony, Namibia’s Minister of Energy, Tom Alweendo, emphasized the importance of SLB’s continued deployment of its ‘License to Operate’ based on three foundations: legitimacy, credibility, and trustworthiness, which aims to ensure that skilled and capable Namibians emerge as national examples of the work achieved through local content development.
Miguel Baptista, SLB’s Managing Director for Angola and Central, East and Southern Africa, spoke about the significance of the new office, stating that “It is a very proud moment for the SLB team in Namibia. In such exciting times for Namibia’s energy industry, we will leverage our experience to create and deploy innovative technology that drives customer performance while decarbonizing oil and gas operations.” He also recognized SLB’s local talents, stating that “Our people enable us to deliver sustainable impact now and tomorrow. We are proud of our strong local culture, which anchors our values and embeds sustainability into everything we do.”
The opening of the Windhoek office comes after SLB’s participation as the technology sponsor at the 2023 Namibia International Energy Conference, where the company highlighted its role in shaping the future of energy and its contribution towards in-country value and inclusive transformation in Namibia. Minister Alweendo praised SLB for its conference participation, stating that “Your valuable insights, experiences, and perspectives have helped us gain a deeper understanding of the issues at hand and the potential solutions that can be explored.”
Through its Windhoek office, SLB aims to create and deploy innovative technology that drives customer performance while decarbonizing oil and gas operations, while also promoting local talent development and contributing to Namibia’s energy ambitions. – Namibia Daily News
