WINDHOEK: President Hifikepunye Pohamba has urged investors in the exploration and extraction of natural resources here to see to it that the environment remains protected for the benefit of future generations.

In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy Willem Isaacks today, Pohamba said as the custodian of the country’s natural resources such as oil and gas, it is Government’s vision to ensure the sustainable utilisation of such resources for the economic and social development of the country.

His speech was read at the first-ever International Oil and Gas Conference to be held in Namibia, which kicked off in Windhoek today.

Themed ‘The Road to Discovery and Beyond’, the aim of the two-day conference is to explore and debate the effects, opportunities and challenges linked to the discovery of petroleum resources in Namibia.

The Head of State said the discovery and exploration of oil and gas in Namibia will ‘no doubt play a fundamental role in fast-tracking the attainment of the long-term national development programme, Vision 2030’.

He explained that Namibia’s strategic objectives for the energy resources amongst others include the promotion and attraction of investments so that the country’s energy resources are fully developed.