STAFF REPORTER FORMER deputy minister of mines and energy Kornelia Shilunga has been tasked with setting up the upstream petroleum unit under the office of President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah.
Nandi-Ndaitwah appointed Shilunga as Special Advisor and Head of Upstream Petroleum Unit deputised by Carlo Lord Muhamed McLeod on Thursday. The move comes after Nandi-Ndaitwah moved the management of the oil and gas sectors from the mines ministry to the presidency office to ensure strict compliance with her government’s push to improve Namibia’s benefits from natural resources.
Soon after her inauguration in March Nandi-Ndaitwah said she decided to move the oil and gas monitoring under her wing to maximise benefits to the country. “The oil and gas industry is new to us and we are all still learning.
I have decided to move the management of this sector to the presidency office to make sure there are maximum benefits to Namibians and to deal with corruption in that industry,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said while announcing her cabinet then. The presidency said the appointments are with immediate effect.
“The two Special Advisors with vast policy and industry experience are expected to establish the upstream Petroleum Unit in the Presidency, review the existing regulatory framework and propose policies for the governance of the petroleum industry, including the effective and efficient management of the upstream petroleum sector,” said I’m a statement.
Shilunga was a member of the National Assembly from 2015 to March 2025 and served as the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy during the same period. McLeoad served as the Deputy General Manager at Chevron Namibia from 2023 to 2025 and also served as the Deputy Director at the Petroleum Affairs Directorate in the Ministry of Mines and Energy from 2015 to 2023. Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed confidence in the abilities in Shilunga and McLeod and wished them well in their new roles.
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