• Carlo McLeod named special advisor and deputy director in Namibia’s upstream unit.

• His public-private background aligns with goals to shape oil and gas policy direction.

• The presidency aims to review regulations and boost local content as projects advance.

Following her inauguration in March, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah decided to channel the management of hydrocarbon projects through the presidential office. The governance of the oil sector in Namibia is now undergoing restructuring at the state's highest level. On Friday, May 23, the Namibian presidency appointed former Chevron subsidiary staffer, Carlo McLeod, as a special advisor to the newly created upstream petroleum cell.

In addition to his advisory role, McLeod will also have duties as the Deputy Director of this strategic unit. The unit is under the supervision of Kornelia Shilunga, former Member of Parliament and ex-Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, as multiple offshore developments are currently underway.

Carlo McLeod has a combined administrative and industrial profile, indicating a desire from Namibian authorities to better coordinate public and private stakeholders in the emerging oil and gas sector. Before his appointment to the presidential office, McLeod, a lawyer specializing in petroleum law, served eight years as Deputy Director of petroleum affairs at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. He later joined Chevron Namibia from 2023 to 2025 as Deputy General Manager. He also contributed to the fight against fuel smuggling in the country.

McLeod's appointment to the Upstream Petroleum Unit (UPU), the presidential unit in charge of hydrocarbons, is in line with the government's goal of providing political guidelines to shape the development of the oil and gas industry. “President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah expresses her confidence in this unit's capabilities,” to achieve this goal.

These appointments are taking place against a backdrop of increasing measures aiming to better capitalize on the expected economic benefits from the monetization of oil and gas resources. One of the priority tasks of this new structure will be to review the regulatory framework and increase local content requirements.

This action is all the more necessary as groups like TotalEnergies, involved in offshore blocks, prepare to transition to a development phase, while remaining cautious about potential risks.