As African leaders convene at the African Union Summit to advance Agenda 2063 and assert the continent’s economic sovereignty, recent remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, John Giordano, appear to signal the scramble for Africa continues.
While the U.S. has imposed strict visa requirements on Namibians, the Ambassador seems to have openly positioned Namibia as central to securing U.S.’ future through its critical minerals and offshore oil.
At a time when Africa is demanding climate justice, energy security and economic sovereignty, the U.S. is accelerating its geopolitical competition through extractivism, according to industry watchers.
They noted that expanding offshore oil in the Orange Basin is incompatible with global climate commitments and risks locking Namibia into stranded assets, debt and environmental harm while the benefits flow outward and the world accelerates towards clean energy.
Similarly, they added, the rush for critical minerals must not repeat the same extractive model that has historically left African communities with pollution, poverty, and displacement.
“A just energy transition must not become a greenwashed extension of neo-colonial extraction. Likewise, Africans cannot be excluded at the border while its resources are fast-tracked into foreign economies.
“The AU Summit is a moment to reaffirm that Africa’s resources must power Africa’s development first,” stated Oil Change International.
Thomas Muronga, Manager Kapinga KaMwalye Conservancy Namibia, said:“Namibia does not exist to secure another country’s future. Our resources are not open for exploitation while our people face visa barriers. Partnership must begin with respect for our sovereignty and our development priorities. Namibia’s future lies in clean energy security, and building value at home, not in becoming a safety net for foreign energy insecurity.”
Thuli Makama, Africa Director, Oil Change International, said: “Africa is already paying the price for a climate crisis it did not cause. Pursuing offshore oil fields in Namibia in the middle of that crisis is not development, it is extractivism. It exposes Namibia to economic volatility, and undermines investment in renewables that could deliver stable, affordable energy for Namibians.
“If the U.S. is serious about partnership, it should support Namibia’s renewable energy expansion, domestic processing of critical minerals, and policies that build long-term resilience, not double down on extractive models that externalize environmental costs and export profits.”