Oil and gas exploration in Namibia’s Kavango region as well as aggressive stock promotion by Canadian company ReconAfrica has spiked local and international interest in the Okavango River Basin. ReconAfrica promises their oil and gas project will generate vast riches for investors, boost the Namibian economy, and cause no lasting harm to the environment. Concerned citizens, scientists and activists warn the opposite. Like the Niger Delta before it, Namibia would pay far more in terms of permanent damage to its traditional communities, fertile agricultural lands, pristine ecosystems and precious water resources than any short term, foreign-dominated profit would generate. Mark Totten Jr. looked at the big picture by understanding what’s really going on in the Kavango. How has ReconAfrica’s geologic story, marketing campaigns and public communications changed since the project began? Who is shouldering the biggest risks of ReconAfrica’s turning drill bit? And who actually stands to benefit from oil exploration in the Kavango? This presentation aimed to address these questions from an earth science and petroleum industry expert’s perspective.
Matt Totten Jr. received both his B.S. and M.S. Geology degrees from the University of Oklahoma, specializing in oil and gas. He then worked as an exploration and operations geologist for British Petroleum (BP) from 2010 to 2015. During his time with BP, Matt explored for deepwater oil and gas prospects, drilled deepwater conventional wells, and geo-steered several horizontal frack wells for onshore unconventional plays. Matt now lives in Windhoek and has been an outspoken critic of the Kavango exploration project since it became public knowledge in late 2020.

This presentation was held on 16 November 2021 at the Namibia Scientific Society.

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