MINEs and Energy minister Tom Alweendo said the potential for green hydrogen to transform Africa’s energy landscape is increasingly recognised, with calls for collaboration rather than competition among nations.

As Namibia positions itself as a key player in this emerging sector, he said the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a crucial vehicle to foster partnerships, and enhance regional cooperation.

Alweendo was speaking yesterday at the official opening of the inaugural edition of the Global African Hydrogen Summit in Windhoek.

The three-day event is themed ‘From Ambition to Action: Fuelling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution’.

The summit is a global platform for collaboration and partnerships policy, investment, and the emerging hydrogen value chain.

Together, the summit will unlock the full potential of the green hydrogen opportunities in Africa, and harness its projected impact on achieving a sustainable and equitable energy transition globally.

For many African countries, green hydrogen offers a major opportunity to sustainably harness existing resources to meet the growing energy demand that will advance economic development, map a sustainable path to a net zero future, and eliminate energy poverty across the continent.

In the global drive to develop and commercialise clean hydrogen, Africa has many advantages. These include abundant wind and solar resources, especially in the north and southwest of the continent that could become highly competitive in supplying clean hydrogen for local and global consumption.

The country has ambitious plans for the green hydrogen project, expected to create thousands of jobs and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Officially opening the event, Namibia, vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia is open for business that will make a meaningful impact on development as it benefits the investor.

“We have the space, a progressive immigration system, and a young and developing workforce, which makes Namibia an ideal location to house some of these new and emerging industries. We have some of the best wind and solar resources in the region, close to our well-developed port and rail infrastructure, and we have plans to expand those infrastructures to facilitate even broader trade in lowcarbon goods between our regional neighbours and our global customers,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah went on to say Namibia offers a rich and welcoming environment that is well-suited to host an impactful green industrialisation ecosystem.

These sustainable new industrial complexes may offer compelling opportunities to create new jobs, diversify economic output, and even augment electricity and clean water production.

However, like all industrial complexes of significant scale, the vice president noted that careful attention needs to be paid to their potential footprint on Namibia’s precious flora and fauna.

She also said Namibia is committed to ensuring that a fair balance is struck between economic development and ecological preservation.

-mndjavera@nepc.com.na