ReconAfrica - Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

ReconAfrica’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach to business is designed to align business activities responsibly, in collaboration with communities, governments – local, regional, and national – Traditional Authorities and other key stakeholders.

ESG at ReconAfrica: Key Areas of Focus

Our key ESG areas provide a basis for reviewing our performance against global standards. These key ESG areas include:

operational performance
community outreach projects (health & wellness and education)
corporate governance processes
water and air quality
biodiversity
reforestation
waste management
regulatory consultation stakeholder and Indigenous engagement
issues & concerns (grievance) management
human rights standards
gender and diversity
labour standards & human resource processes
climate change and carbon emissions
data protection and privacy for management of information

ReconAfrica has a sustainable approach to business based on our Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) principles,

We comply with regulations and engage with regulatory bodies in a proactive manner to confirm that we are meeting our compliance obligations.

We engage openly with stakeholders. We listen and work collaboratively to address and manage community issues and concerns and we value constructive feedback that makes us better at what we do.

We implement environmental and social monitoring measures within our environmental management plans.

It is important for people, including contractors, to act safely and with respect for the environmental, social, and cultural circumstances in which we operate.

We are transparent and ethical in our work; we recognize that trust is hard to earn and easy to lose, and we value the privilege of working in our host countries.

ESG Projects and Activities

ReconAfrica is committed to the communities where we operate Kavango East and Kavango West in PEL 073. We value our stakeholders and their communities and the importance of relationships for lasting and positive change in these areas. As we move our project forward, we will also review ESG project opportunities in our PEL 001 licence area in Botswana.

We want to maximise the benefits that accrue to inhabitants of these communities and as such, have committed $10million (N$112million) to ESG Community Outreach initiatives including health, wellness, and education, so that the positive impact of our activities is felt by as many people as possible across the spectrums of economic, social, and educational opportunities.

A key focus area of our $10 million ESG commitment is Communty Outreach. We are doing Community Outreach projects including drilling and installation of community water wells within Kavango East and Kavango West, allowing community members safer access to potable water. We are working closely with local community members and the Namibian government to contribute to their Rural Water Management Plan, in order to obtain the most effective results. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) is responsible for placement and permitting of the 36 community water wells we have drilled and installed to date in our license area. We have handed over these 36 commmunity water wells to MAWLR and the impacted communities and they benefit over 10,000 people from the two regions, as per MAWLR surveys.

Ongoing ESG Initiatives include:

Ongoing progress of our water management plan, including water sampling and data gathering to provide the government with pertinent information;
ReconAfrica responded to calls for assistance by the Government of Namibia with a N$15-million contribution to the country’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign, along with support of regional health initiatives in hard-to-reach communities in Kavango East and Kavango West; this was followed by a second wave of support by ReconAfrica to provide oxygen and medical equipment;
ReconAfrica, in collaboration with educational specialists, is funding 10 scholarships in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (“STEAM”) for new high-school graduates in Kavango East and Kavango West;
ReconAfrica, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, is sponsoring seven nursing students from the San communities of Kavango East and Kavango West;
In collaboration with the Namibia University of Science and Technology, ReconAfrica is supporting an initiative to provide an oil-and-gas educational option for Namibian students;
Donations of school materials and sports equipment to more than 40 schools in Kavango East and Kavango West;
ReconAfrica sponsored a shoes-for-schools project – Never Walk Alone – to provide shoes for students in need;
Our company also participated in Namibia’s We Race Together drive, an annual relay race that brings together Namibians from every region to promote nation-building and support social initiatives across the country;
ReconAfrica provided emergency funding for Namibian students who were stranded in Ukraine due to the ongoing military conflict;
As shared, ReconAfrica continues to bring safe potable water to Kavango East and Kavango West residents and has handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR), 36 solar-powered community water wells;
Ongoing support to Namibia’s wildlife collaring and management program, led by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT); our support of collaring initiatives for elephants, crocodiles and other important and valued wildlife in Namibian National Parks and surrounding areas is a collaborative effort with MEFT;
ReconAfrica is working on reforestation initiatives in collaboration with forestry and arboreal experts from MEFT, Conservancies, Community Forests and third-party consultants;
We continue to sponsor independently led and privately held stakeholder and indigenous engagement activities related to our project to promote external dialogue and awareness in our license areas;
Our company continues to collaborate on Operational Performance research assistance, including agricultural studies, waste management initiatives and other focused areas;
ReconAfrica rolled out Corporate Governance training programs for in-country employees and contractors and creating a structure and culture that fosters and commits to responsible and ethical behaviour throughout the company.

Environment

ReconAfrica is committed to protecting the environment, minimizing disturbances and implementing environmental practices and international standards. We have conducted comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) including Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) for our stratigraphic exploration wells, our seismic programs and our Exploration and Appraisal wells and we have Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) in place. Ammendments are ongoing, if and as required.

ReconAfrica complies with national legal, regulatory standards, policies and practices, working with all levels of government to take the right steps.

ReconAfrica conducts water and soil sampling as part of our ongoing monitoring, working closely with government agencies, who enforce compliance with regulations. We also implement land access and required compensation and work with the various Traditional Authorities, landowners, village authorities, land management authorities and other required officials with respect to these matters.

ReconAfrica has not applied for, does not have the intention to, nor has it been granted permits to allow ‘fracing’ – a point which ReconAfrica, and the governments of Namibia and Botswana have gone to great lengths to publicly confirm.

Voluntary Exclusion Areas

ReconAfrica is not operating in the Okavango Delta, Tsodilo Hills, Ramsar and National Parks and our licence excludes these areas. In addition, our company has self-imposed no-go and buffer zones to protect the environment and wildlife, including a 10-km setback from the Okavango River and a 20-km setback from the Okavango Delta. Our operating plans, which are reviewed, monitored and approved by governments and Traditional Authorities, have been developed with the goal of minimal negative impact and maximum positive benefit to Namibia.

Exploratory Drilling with Integrity

We have implemented advanced drilling practices to protect each well with steel casing (pipes) encased in cement to provide the structural integrity necessary to prevent fluids from entering or escaping while in the various steps of the drilling process. ReconAfrica ReconAfrica is using water-based, biodegradable drilling fluid system to minimize environmental impacts.

Seismic Data Gathering with Environmental Controls

ReconAfrica is implementing a technically advanced and environmentally responsible, low-impact seismic survey systems, reflective of the importance we place on environmental practices.

ReconAfrica’s seismic operations are conducted over access routes, with low-frequency equipment to protect wildlife communication. We do not operate at night, when elephants and other wildlife species typically communicate.

Social

Regulatory Consultation, Community, Stakeholder and Indigenous Engagement

ReconAfrica has held more than 1900 community and stakeholder engagement sessions with communities and impacted stakeholders in local languages and track issues and concerns and address them in follow-up sessions. ReconAfrica has held multiple engagements with the five recognised Royal Houses in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions.

Many of our engagement sessions are targeted at women and young adults as part of our commitment to diversity and in an effort to foster broad-based consultation and factfinding.

ReconAfrica has local community liaison officers (CLOs) as part of our ESG team who assist with ESG and operations requirements. They complete ongoing engagement with our stakeholders and encourage their feedback including raising issues and concerns. Our issues and concerns are tracked and followed up on. They also assist with project activities and stakeholder elements related community relations and socio-economic opportunities, environmental components, per,mitting and compliance requirements. Our CLOs are the "face" of ReconAfrica and we are proud of these ESG team members. Insert ESG team photo including Rundu ESG team and EMP team.

We have worked closely with Traditional Authorities and communities and have earned ongoing support for our planned exploration program. We have also completed engagement sessions with the San and traditional ethnic communities.

ReconAfrica updates key parties in international organisations, such as the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (“OKACOM”) and Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (“KAZA TFCA”), along with Canadian government representatives. We are also directly engaging established Conservancies, Farmers’ Unions, Community Forest representatives, SAN (Indigenous) representatives and religious organisations throughout Namibia.

Thinking, Training and Hiring Locally

ReconAfrica places strong emphasis on hiring locally and nationally whenever possible. We have had over 2400 roles filled by Namibian residents for our ongoing exploration activities includng for our different operations, ESG and management requirements.

Additionally, ReconAfrica is working with educational institutions to enhance on-site training programs directly related to the environment and to drilling and seismic activities.

ReconAfrica works with local, regional, and national business suppliers and service providers in a broad range of sectors, including water well drilling; construction; logistics and transport; telecom; camp management; training; medical services and supplies; human resources and contracting; engineering and project management; and environmental services.

We implement compliance requirements for hiring and service contracts and have a strong commitment to gender, with a focus on the impotance of increasing the number of women hired.

Governance

“At ReconAfrica, we are committed to doing business in compliance with our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and associated policies, as this will enable us to maintain sustainable growth, create shareholder value and reinforce the sustainability of our current and future business.”

—Brian Reinsborough, President and CEO

About ReconAfrica

ReconAfrica is a Canadian-based oil and gas company working collaboratively with national governments to explore oil and gas potential in Northeast Namibia and Northwest Botswana – the Kavango Basin.

To date, ReconAfrica has been granted licences by Namibia and Botswana to explore and confirm the presence of their resources; we have no licence to produce oil or to engage in hydraulic fracturing (‘fracing’).

This project aims to prove a potential reserve that could lead to economic stimulus, funding local and regional jobs and other socio-economic benefits such as increased infrastructure, potable water access and investments in environmental and wildlife conservation. Should oil and gas be discovered, the traditional authorities and elected governments of Namibia and Botswana will determine how they will manage those resources.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)