Geingos wants locals to benefit from new industries

Former first lady Monica Geingos says Namibia should not wait for laws governing new industries, but rather focus on local content strategies.

Geingos, who was speaking during the Global Africa Hydrogen Summit, which ended yesterday, said implementing local content strategies would ensure Namibians benefit from the green hydrogen and oil sectors.

“Local content strategies should be in place right from the beginning, and we should not only wait until there is legislation,” she said.

Local content policies require oil and gas companies to prioritise the use of local goods, services and labour.

The former first lady said the country’s upcoming industries could finally be the answer to social development problems and income inequality facing Namibia. She said there has to be support for entrepreneurs, especially by providing them access to the capital essential for fostering local content.

Geingos said collaboration between international partners is vital.

At the same platform, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy’s head of environment, social and governance Toni Beukes said, prioritising specific areas such as wind and solar, is essential, given the complexity of the green hydrogen industry.

She said flexible local content targets that will start with lower local content targets and gradually increased targets as the industry evolves are needed.

“The government should provide fiscal or non-fiscal support to enable the development of the green hydrogen sector,” Beukes said.

She said donor funding should be directed towards prioritised areas for maximum impact.

The deputy minister of science, technology and innovation in South Africa, Nomalungelo Gina said the country has formed an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate all stakeholders involved in the hydrogen and energy issues in South Africa.

“We have developed catalyst membranes for fuel cells and hydrogen production technologies as part of the country’s commitment to becoming a significant player in the global market,” she said. Gina also said South Africa has made deliberate efforts to ensure women’s participation in the green hydrogen industry.

She said investment in skills development is necessary.

Tanzania’s deputy prime minister, Doto Biteko, said Africa needs to increase its generation capacity using the natural resources available.

Biteko said there is a need for greater energy access in Africa for many people.

“Tanzania has conducted a study using hydrogen for power generation and sees promise in this technology,” he said.

He said investing in green hydrogen is expensive and challenging and requires significant resources and infrastructure development.

“Green energy is a global agenda that needs much attention, especially to our countries in Africa where much of the fuel used to power our vehicles and industries comes from hydrocarbons with a much higher cost,” Biteko said.

Nigeria’s energy minister Abbas Lawal said although Africa is not a high emitter of carbon, it is suffering the consequences of global warming because it cannot afford the infrastructure needed to mitigate the effects.

He said the transition into cleaner energy is hard.

“We [Africa] have been forced to get out of coal, but moving to clean energy would take time and resources and would therefore need support,” Lawal said.