Canadian oil company ReconAfrica has produced natural gas to surface from its Kavango West 1X discovery well in northeastern Namibia, marking the first hydrocarbons ever produced onshore in the country.

Testing on the uppermost zone of the Elandshoek formation, part of a six-zone campaign launched June 8, produced gas and liquids across three separate flow tests over 24 hours of open time, with tubing pressure reaching 2,300 psi. Equipment limitations prevented accurate flow rate measurement, but the pressure build-up between tests confirmed the well can deliver hydrocarbons. Samples have been shipped to U.S. laboratories for compositional analysis, with results expected in the coming weeks.

ReconAfrica, which holds 13 million contiguous acres across Namibia, Angola and Botswana alongside partners BW Energy and state company NAMCOR, is now moving testing equipment uphole to assess three zones in the shallower Huttenberg formation, where logs show 76 net metres of hydrocarbon pay across 182 metres of reservoir section, with results expected by late August. The company is also evaluating a horizontal or deviated sidetrack to intersect the Elandshoek formation’s natural fracture network, a step similar to shale completions in North America that typically boost production from the same reservoir.

The company raised $27 million in January 2026 to fund the current test campaign and a second appraisal well, scheduled before the end of the third quarter of 2026.

Source: (prospect-intel.com)