The reform of Namibia's oil sector cleared its second reading in the National Assembly on Tuesday 20 October, a week after opposition MPs who challenged the bill and its procedure walked out.
The bill transfers several powers from the Minister of Mines and Energy to the president and to the director general of a new upstream oil unit housed within the presidency, according to the official register of parliamentary bills.
It also plans to shift responsibilities from the petroleum commissioner to the deputy director general of that unit. The bill must now be considered clause by clause in committee before returning to the National Assembly for final approval.
The presidency argues the set-up is designed to speed up decisions while keeping oversight mechanisms in place. The opposition, by contrast, argues the arrangement concentrates regulation of a strategic sector at the top of the executive and weakens institutional oversight.
The vote comes as Namibia, now one of the main exploration frontiers in Africa, aims for first oil production around 2030. Rules on licences, taxation and the control of operators will weigh on expected public revenues and on the visibility offered to investors.
The ruling party holds 51 of the 96 seats in the National Assembly. This narrow majority and the divisions that have emerged over the bill leave the outcome of the legislative process still uncertain.