‘Green hydrogen Namibia’s response to global challenges’

THE minister of international relations and cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, says one of the contributions of Namibia to address current global challenges is the production of green hydrogen.

She said this yesterday in an opening speech read on her behalf by the director for multilateral cooperation in the ministry, Arshalom Nghifitikeko, at a two-day African experts group meeting on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Windhoek.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is a large-scale project in Namibia’s south, which has been described by experts as one of the top-five locations in the world for the production of low-carbon hydrogen.

The area is particularly suitable due to its large solar and wind resources and proximity to the coast.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said electrical energy is used in the production of green hydrogen to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which eventually allows one to produce chemical energy without the emission of carbon.

Green hydrogen can be exported to other countries, including African countries, she said.

She said the production of green hydrogen will start in 2026, with the plant producing 300 000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

“The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is in line with Namibia’s commitment to cut carbon emission by 91% by 2030, towards the fulfilment of SDG 13 on climate action, the Paris Agreement, and goal 7 of Africa’s Agenda 2063,” she said.

Furthermore, Nandi-Ndaitwah said while Africa has made some progress towards achieving the SDGs, as well as the goals of Agenda 2063, the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the economies of a number of African countries.

Therefore, she said, the meeting should also serve as a platform for African Union member states to generate good ideas for economic recovery.

UN country representative Alka Bhatia said climate change and Covid-19 were a sad reality globally, which have led to declining economic growth in African countries, and escalating food and fuel prices.

Bhatia said the meeting is a unique opportunity for Africa to devise ways to move forward towards achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063 goals.

Five of the 17 SDGs have been selected to be reviewed at the meeting.

Bartholomew Armah, the chief of the development planning section of the macroeconomics and governance division at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca), said the five SDGs are interlinked and cannot be reviewed in isolation.

Armah said Africa needs evidence-based planning that would inform policy development and implementation to achieve the SDGs.

The resident coordinator of the UN in Namibia, Sen Pang, said Russia’s war in Ukraine, Covid-19 and climate change have put efforts to achieve the SDGs in jeopardy.

He said while Africa has made some progress, Covid-19 has devastated people’s lives.

But, he said, progress does not come easily or by itself.

“We need to work together to achieve tangible results,” he said.