Namibia: New Petrofund Scholarship Program Targets Upstream Skills Development

Namibia’s Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund) has officially launched its Petrofund Namibia Scholarship Program to invest in human capital and develop the country’s upstream petroleum workforce.

The program will offer financial support for postgraduate studies in exploration, appraisal, field development, production, decommissioning and other disciplines across the upstream value chain. The initiative complements a free tertiary education program launched by the Namibian presidency and will accept applications from August 4 to October 10, 2025.

“According to the 2023 Population and Housing Census, over 71% of Namibia’s population is under the age of 35. This demographic reality underscores the urgency of equipping Namibians,” stated Ms Nillian Mulemi, CEO, Petrofund.

Petrofund has to date invested over N$115 million to support 438 Namibians through scholarships, including more than 90 recipients in 2025 alone.

The agency has also signed 10 agreements with energy companies to facilitate job training for youths, placing over 82 individuals in industry roles. Partnerships with local tertiary institutions have also been strengthened to expand oil and gas technical training programs.

Petrofund has also contracted a local firm to design a national CV repository system, which is scheduled to launch in Q4 2025.