The three-day Global African Hydrogen Summit kicked off in Windhoek today and ends on Thursday.
The summit brings together leading role players in the sector, including heads of state.
The historical high-level summit, held under the auspices of the Namibian government, will be under the theme ‘From Ambition to Action: Fuelling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution’.
According to a statement from Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) spokesperson Cathrine Shipushu, the summit will focus on the global role Africa can play in the nascent hydrogen sector. The NIPDB is a strategic partner in hosting the summit.
“The summit is more than an event, it is a movement to propel Africa to the forefront of the global hydrogen revolution,” she says.
A number of speakers have been lined up to address the summit, including vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who delivered welcoming remarks.
Others include the One Economy Foundation chairperson, former first lady Monica Geingos, mines minister Tom Alweendo, Green Hydrogen Council chairperson and National Planning Commission director general Obeth Kandjoze.
Also speaking at the event are presidential economic advisor and Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme head James Mnyupe, Bank of Namibia governor Johannes !Gawaxab, NIPDB chief executive Nangula Uaandja and minister of industrialisation and trade Lucia Iipumbu, among others.
Leading the foreign speakers will be deputy prime minister Doto Mashaka Biteko of Tanzania, who will deliver the keynote address. Also addressing the summit will be South African deputy minister of electricity and energy Samantha Graham-Maré and German special envoy to Namibia Rainer Baake.
Shipushu says the emerging global hydrogen economy faces significant challenges, including the complex and capital-intensive value chain whose different segments are developing at varying paces.
“For many African countries, hydrogen offers a major opportunity to sustainably harness existing resources to meet the growing demand for energy that will advance economic development, map a sustainable path to a net zero future and eliminate energy poverty across the continent,” she says.
She highlights the many advantages Africa has in the global drive to develop and commercialise clean hydrogen.
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 summit is expected to unlock the full potential of the hydrogen opportunity in Africa and harness its projected impact on achieving a sustainable and equitable energy transition globally, says Shipushu.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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