Government has reaffirmed that Namibia’s green hydrogen industry is expected to create 30 000 jobs by 2030 as the country pushes to position itself as a hub for green industrial development. The burgeoning green hydrogen industry has so far created more than 400 jobs.
Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Gaudentia Kröhne, said green hydrogen has been identified as a new source of sustainable economic growth and employment under the country’s Green Hydrogen Focus Area.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 African Green Industries Summit (AGIS) in Windhoek, Kröhne said the sector is expected to support job creation, energy production and industrial growth.The conference will be held in Swakopmund under the theme, “Powering African Industries for Sustainable Development”.
“The Green Hydrogen Focus Area identifies green hydrogen as a new source of sustainable economic growth and employment, with desired outcomes that include the creation of 30 000 green hydrogen jobs by 2030 and the production of green baseload electricity,” she said.
Kröhne said the plan also aims to increase the contribution of secondary industry to 25% of gross domestic product (GDP) and manufacturing to 18% of GDP by 2030. She added that green hydrogen forms part of broader plans to strengthen manufacturing, infrastructure, logistics, energy systems, water systems, research, skills development and export competitiveness.
“In other words, green hydrogen is not treated as an end, but as a platform for industrial transformation,” said Kröhne.
The deputy minister added that Namibia is currently preparing its Sectoral Transformation Investment Plan (STIP), under the Climate Investment Funds Industry Decarbonisation Programme. Through this process, the country has secured access to up to US$250 million in concessional climate finance to support low-carbon industrial development.
Namibia has, in recent years, attracted international attention for its green hydrogen potential due to its strong solar and wind resources.
The African Green Industries Summit is expected to bring together policymakers, investors and industry leaders to discuss green industrialisation and sustainable development on the continent.
Namibia Green hydrogen programme Interim-Head of NGH2P, Joseph Mukendwa, pointed out that previous summits created a platform where policy met industry, where investors met project developers, and where Namibia’s green hydrogen ambitions were no longer discussed only as future possibilities, but as emerging industrial realities.
“The 2025 edition demonstrated that this platform had matured into a serious continental convening mechanism. It brought together government leaders, developers, investors, technology providers and end-users, and it showcased bankable African green energy projects,” said Mukendwa.
AGIS 2026 represents an evolution. It builds on the legacy of the Global African Hydrogen Summit, but it broadens the conversation from hydrogen alone to green industrialisation. That is noteworthy because Namibia’s ambition is not simply to export molecules. “Our national objective is to use renewable energy, green hydrogen and its derivatives as enablers of industrialisation, value addition, infrastructure development, skills formation and long-term economic transformation,” said Mukendwa.
Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) acting chief executive officer, Jessica Hauuanga, said last year’s second edition of the Global African Hydrogen Summit attracted over 1 400 delegates from 65 countries who gathered in Windhoek. She pointed out that at the last summit, 30 investment roundtables were convened, hosting 75 exhibitors, and witnessing the signing of nine Memoranda of Understanding and investment partnerships.
“This summit, and other international events such as the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference, the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum and the African Union MSME summit that we have hosted over the past few years, have equally demonstrated Namibia’s ability to successfully host high profile global gatherings and positioning Windhoek as an emerging destination for business tourism,” said Hauuanga.