Saipem, Petrofund Sign Deal to Prepare Namibians for Oil and Gas Jobs
WINDHOEK — Namibian graduates and young professionals could gain access to practical training and industry exposure under a new skills-development partnership between global energy company Saipem and the Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund).
The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Windhoek on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, establishing a framework for cooperation aimed at preparing Namibians for opportunities in the country’s developing upstream oil and gas industry.
The agreement places particular emphasis on giving young professionals, university graduates and graduates from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions opportunities to gain practical experience in an international oil and gas environment.
Under the planned collaboration, the organisations intend to work on internships, on-the-job training, scholarships and technical training, alongside initiatives involving educational institutions and career fairs.
Participants are expected to gain exposure to areas such as industry technologies, equipment, operational processes, workplace safety standards and other professional requirements relevant to the international petroleum sector.
Beyond training placements, the MoU also provides for mentoring and coaching, technical knowledge sharing, curriculum development, research and innovation, as well as engagement with education and training institutions.
The partnership is intended to strengthen the link between Namibia’s education and training system and the technical skills demanded by the upstream petroleum industry.
Petrofund, as Namibia’s national institution responsible for capacity building in the upstream petroleum sector, brings its skills-development mandate to the partnership, while Saipem contributes international engineering, construction and energy-sector expertise.
The collaboration also includes potential supplier development activities, an area that could support broader participation by Namibian businesses as the country’s petroleum industry develops.
For Saipem, the agreement forms part of its stated commitment to local content, workforce development and knowledge transfer in countries where it operates.
The signing comes as Namibia continues efforts to develop the skills and local capacity needed to capture longer-term economic benefits from its emerging upstream oil and gas industry.
Rather than focusing only on future employment, the partnership is structured around building a pipeline of workers with practical technical and professional skills that can be used across the petroleum value chain.
The MoU therefore provides a framework for Saipem and Petrofund to expand cooperation in training and knowledge transfer as Namibia’s upstream industry develops.
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