Only 20% to 30% of Namibian fuel sourced from Middle East – Ngurare

Prime minister Elijah Ngurare says Namibia will not run out of fuel, as most of the fuel imported into the country comes from Nigeria, India and Europe.

This comes after countries like Botswana announced they could soon run out of fuel following the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Ngurare made the remarks during an engagement with the business community at Oshakati on Friday.

“Fuel in the country is enough for three months. It is also not feasible to store it for six months or so because fuel itself has a certain shelf life. You cannot keep it beyond a certain period,” he said.

He added that four fuel-importing companies have recently briefed the government.

“What we were assured is that only about 20% to 30% of the fuel that comes to Namibia is from the Middle East. This means there are alternative sources. We were also assured that the tankers are on their way and by now, they may have arrived,” Ngurare said.

He added: “This means they get fuel from India, Europe and so forth. An interesting point we found is that I think TotalEnergies gets some of its oil from Nigeria, which means within Africa. This brings us to the point that, when we are affected by these geopolitical issues, why can’t we trade among ourselves instead of relying on others?”

Ngurare said he would not claim the situation is completely under control, especially regarding lubricants.

He also said the government cannot source fuel from Angola, as it is alleged to be slightly thicker.

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