Despite the country’s small population, two Namibian women are among a select group of remarkable female trailblazers stealing the limelight in the oil sector.
Mwanyengwa Ndapewoshali Shapwanale, director of communications and stakeholder relations at Canadian company ReconEnergy in Namibia, and Taimi Itembu, the deputy country manager at ExxonMobil Namibia, were nominated by South Africa-based African Energy Chamber (AEC) among the continent’s top 25 under 40 women leaders.
They are among a luminary group redefining the possibilities within a traditionally male-dominated energy industry.
Shapwanale is a founding member of the Women in Oil, Gas, and Energy Network (Wogen) in Namibia which promotes gender diversity and empowers women professionals in the oil, gas and energy sector.
“I am absolutely honoured and humbled by this recognition. Thank you very much AEC for celebrating and recognising myself and Taimi for the work we are doing in the sector.
“I think this is a significant achievement, not only for Taimi and myself, but for the entire country, especially at this very exciting time for our oil and gas sector,” she told The Namibian.
She said with this recognition also comes great responsibility.
“We were fortunate to have got a seat at the table to showcase our skills and our capacities, with this we have the responsibility to show that we can and do deliver. We have the responsibility to maintain the confidence the sector has in young women.
“The women in the industry have been doing a fantastic job to give platforms and opportunities to women, and for this I am grateful and know that it is up to me to now also push for the advancement of women in the oil and gas sector.”
Shapwanale told AEC that adopting a just transition and African solutions for African challenges has also helped her stay focused on the bigger responsibility, which is to ensure meaningful, impactful and tangible contributions to eradicating energy poverty in Namibia and the continent, meaningful participation in the sector and getting meaningful benefit from the energy sector.
“Energy poverty is an African reality, and Namibia is not singled out from this reality. Further to that, my area of operation is one of the most socially challenged in our country, and I have started and will continue to use my role to innovatively tackle these challenges to ensure that my country and our continent as a whole benefit from its resources,” she said.
According to AEC, Namibia’s energy sector is on the precipice of large-scale transformation owing to sizeable oil and gas discoveries made since 2022, ambitious renewable and green hydrogen project developments planned and a proactive approach by the government to attract new investment.
Itembu described the industry as challenging but mostly accommodating.
“The ship is moving in the right direction and with intentional advocacy and patience we are able to close the gender gap,” she said, advising young women in the energy sector that there is a place for everyone “not just engineers, financiers or geoscientists”.
“It is an industry to learn and grow your career beyond oil and gas.”
Shapwanale advised young women that humility, listening to those in the sector, putting in the work, collaboration and willingness to learn is the key to success.
“Leadership in my company is the true definition of meaningfully giving a young black woman a seat at the table and supporting her.
It is important to note that it is not enough to be given a seat at the table; the work has to continue to maintain that seat. To be considered at the table should not be to satisfy a quota but because one is capable of excelling, achieving, and delivering,” she said.
Itembu said a career in energy can be both demanding and exciting as the world races to meet energy demand while focusing on a low carbon future.
“This makes it an exciting time to be part of ExxonMobil, which is the global leader in low carbon solutions, specifically around carbon capture and storage, and it feels good to be part of the solution,” she said.
“The oil and gas industry is integral in the energy transition discussion and I am particularly privileged to be a Namibian woman working with Exxonmobil at this time in history.”
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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