A key government minister in Namibia, one of the world’s hottest exploration regions, has created concern among oil and gas players, after news emerged that he has raised the prospect of the state taking free equity stakes in petroleum production in the country.

Following up on an original report by Bloomberg, Reuters cited Namibia’s Mines & Energy Minister Tom Alweendo as saying on Monday that the nation’s government is considering the move, a statement which Upstream has now been able to confirm.