‘Namibia, Africa cannot do energy transition alone’

Minister of mines and energy Tom Alweendo says the green energy transition cannot be achieved in isolation, but will require collaboration on a global level.

Speaking during the Global Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Windhoek yesterday, Alweendo said Africa has the advantage of natural resources and will play a key role in the transition.

“We also know this energy transition is a global phenomenon that cannot be resolved by one country or one continent. It is a global situation that needs to be resolved by all of us,” Alweendo said.

He said collaboration between producing and consuming countries are crucial.

Alweendo said clear standards have to be put in place on both sides of the value chain.

“We need to understand what the standards are going forward. What are we going to do about transporting this energy, for example?” he asked.

Alweendo said collaboration is also needed to discuss how to finance the energy industry.

“We also need to collaborate on issues like how we are going to fund some of these projects,” he said.

He said although green hydrogen has garnered market visibility, the industry is still not well developed.

Additionally Alweendo said the country has an industrial stategy, but it has to be clear on what hydrogen would be used for.

“As Namibia, we have already obviously introduced our industrial strategies, but we have also realised that hydrogen itself is not really one of the issues. What do we do with hydrogen?” he asked.

Speaking during the event, vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has cautioned that as Namibia is moving towards industrialisation, the country and Africa should not damage the environment.

“Namibia is committed to ensuring that a fair balance is struck between economic development and ecological preservation,” she said.

She said the country offers a rich and welcoming environment that is well suited to hosting an impactful green industrialisation ecosystem.

“Namibia has rich deposits of the minerals required to build clean industries, such as critical rare earth elements and lithium. We also help our Zambian neighbours trade their copper – a key ingredient for sustainable industries – with global markets,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Namibia has some of the best wind and solar resources in the region, she said.