A Saudi company has set up a Namibian office to train Namibians in skills needed for the offshore oil and gas industry.
Eram Holdings, founded and 100% owned by Indian businessman Siddeek Ahmed, operates several international businesses, including running skills development programmes in Kerala, India.
Speaking to The Namibian at the official opening of Eram Africa in Windhoek yesterday, Eram chief operating officer Madhu Krishnan said skills development in Namibia is the company’s entry to the entire African market.
“We have our own skill development structure back in India and in a few other countries. We are planning to implement that same model in the African market for the African nationals, African government, and African companies,” he said.
The company’s plan is to partner with large logistic companies in Namibia, as well as with government and training institutes, to bring its training to Namibia. He said the company’s training courses meet the international standards required by international companies.
“Definitely, we are following the international standards, especially in the offshore drilling and many other technology sectors,” he said.
Eram Holdings began considering Namibia as a first step for its African expansion in 2025 because of the high activity in offshore oil and gas exploration.
“We are expecting a big boom in Namibia in the oil and gas sector. So, we are preparing for that,” he said.
He expects the first phase to begin in January 2027 and to have at least 500 people go through their training programme in the first year.
The people who receive training – for example in scaffolding, piping or welding – are selected by corporations who need to expand their workforce.
“We are dealing with the corporate directly to set up the training centre for them. We’ll be using our own curriculum, our own modules, our own different study methodologies,” Madhu said.
“Namibia is looking at a lot of expansion here [in oil and gas]. The big corporations are ready for [this expansion]. Oil and gas companies, logistics companies and all relevant associated verticals are preparing for that [expansion]. So, [we are] finding those opportunities in advance. We are in touch with the corporations to make their upcoming staff efficient,” he said.
He said that over the coming years, Eram intends to invest over US$1 billion (about N$16.5 billion) in Africa, but could not disclose the amount in Namibia as conversations with potential Namibian partners are ongoing.
Eram chairperson Ahmed yesterday said his goal is to create an ecosystem in Namibia that can provide the workforce for oil and gas. He called it a project of partnership and nation-building.
According to the company’s director of international business, Andres Cortes, training is the foundation for developing resources in a way that supports Namibia.
“You need to have the proper level of certification otherwise you cannot develop a global resource,” Cortes says.
This means training that is internationally accredited is important.
“You can have as much training as you want, but the companies won’t hire them [if they don’t recognise the training],” he says.
He describes this kind of training effort as a win for the company, the companies that need skilled workers and the country that wants its own nationals to be employed in the oil industry.
