EU partnership to mobilise N$400b for green industry

EU partnership to mobilise N$400b for green industry

Ana-Beatriz Martins, the ambassador of the EU delegation to Namibia, noted EU partnership will mobilise N$400 billion in private investments for Namibia’s green hydrogen strategy.

This is more than double Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP), significantly advancing the nation’s aspirations for green industrialisation.

She was speaking at the grant signing ceremony of N$42 million yesterday for support to civil society for inclusive and sustainable green growth in Windhoek. 

“A pipeline of seven to nine private investment projects, led primarily by European private companies with EU and member states’ public grants, is already underway,” Martins stated.

She noted that some of these projects are expected to reach final investment decisions as early as the end of 2025. 

This initiative not only aims to enhance Namibia’s economic landscape, but also aligns with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The ambassador highlighted the potential impact of Namibia’s green energy sector, saying, “This strategy will create local content and quality jobs that Namibians, particularly the youth, are striving for. The opportunities arising are unquestionable and already tangible.” 

The civil society organisations that are up for this are Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Namibia Media Trust (NMT), Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), Deutsche Welle (DW), Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) and Namibia Development Trust (NDT). 

She said the aim for the current support is to facilitate a participatory process in which the concerns of communities, especially women and youth, can be considered in decision-
making. 

“We will support the training of journalists to strengthen journalists’ technical and research capabilities to the benefit of a strong media landscape in Namibia,” she added. 

According to the ambassador, civil society plays a crucial role in informing and shaping public opinion and public policies, in contributing to transparency, inclusivity and accountability. 

Growth that lacks transparency and accountability, she said, is unsustainable, and it is ultimately the people of Namibia who must benefit from these economic transformations.

At the same occasion, the executive director of the National Planning Commission Michael Humavindu called successful civil society organisations to ensure that their work emanating from this grant also by extension lead to not only capacitating those potential beneficiaries who are targeted, but also leads to developmental outcomes.

The EU is not new in the game, but already has agreements with Namibia as they approved the roadmap for their strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials’ value chains and renewable hydrogen. 

As such, Namibia’s ambitions were promised to be supported by investments totalling just over N$20 billion (€1 billion) from the European Union (EU), its member states, and European financial institutions. 

-mndjavera@nepc.com.na