Johanna Hipangelwa
The president recently made a bold claim regarding the creation of 600 000 jobs by 2040 through the Green Hydrogen project.
Therefore, it is of paramount importance to critically examine the feasibility of this prospect within the context of Namibia’s current economic challenges. While the potential benefits of green hydrogen cannot be underestimated, it is vital for an assessment of the realistic impacts it may have on the unemployment rate, especially considering the country’s rapidly increasing population and prevailing socioeconomic conditions.
Green Hydrogen has been hailed as a promising solution – not only to climate change challenges but now to the unemployment crisis. The utilisation of renewable energy resources to produce green hydrogen for export and local consumption is indeed appealing.
However, there are significant factors that should be considered when evaluating its potential job creation impact.
The country is currently facing a dire unemployment crisis, with recent statistics indicating a skyrocketing rate. The existing job market struggles to absorb the influx of new entrants.
It is in this challenging context that the promise of green hydrogen, job creation must be examined critically. Thus, on this note, while green hydrogen has the potential to drive innovation and create jobs, the scale of the industry and its ability to generate significant employment opportunities becomes a salient unit of analysis.
Due to the high demand for highly skilled labour, advanced technology and specialised infrastructure required for the production, storage and transportation process of green hydrogen, Namibia is still grappling to catch up.
This may pose a hindrance to the creation of sufficient job opportunities, primarily for those with this technical expertise.
Additionally, the considerable rise in population and skills gap, exacerbating the already high unemployment rate, is another challenge to realising this appealing, yet very ambitious promise.
The recently-concluded Population and Housing Census anticipates a 2.6 million figure, which, if accurate, means an increase in population by half a million – adding to a substantial burden to the labour market.
This means there will now be half a million more individuals who may be seeking employment and ready to compete for jobs in an already-contracted job market.
Moreover, the consistent skills gap in Namibia poses a significant challenge to capitalising on the potential job opportunities in the green hydrogen sector.
Without a well-trained workforce ready to fill these positions, the promise remains unfeasible and unrealistic.
Therefore, it is crucial to have a well-equipped workforce, specific to the needs that will drive the industry forward.
Briefly, to ensure the validity of job creation in the green hydrogen sector, Namibia must address these challenges amicably, perhaps through targeted investment in education and skills.
development. Simultaneously, policymakers should focus on diversifying the country’s economic base which will foster entrepreneurship and promote investment in various sectors to accommodate the growing labour force. By taking these Namibian-centred critical steps and others echoed by other writers on the subject, the country will be better prepared to reap the full benefits of Green Hydrogen while tackling its devastating and pressing unemployment challenges.
* Johanna Hipangelwa is a political science student at the University of Namibia. Reach her at johannahiapngelwa01@gmail.com