Namibia eyes being sustainable energy capital of Africa

Africa’s energy position is changing, and it is against this backdrop that as a country, Namibia is positioning itself as the sustainable energy capital of Africa.

This was said by mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo in Dubai on Friday when he launched the inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAh2S) to be hosted in Windhoek on 3 to 5 September next year.

The initiative was launched on 6 November as part of the joint COP28 programme for Namibia by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), DMG Events and Vasco Da Gama Energy.

Alweendo said the world is facing an unpre­cedented climate crisis and that the urgency to transition to clean and sustainable energy sources has never been more apparent.

“This has become a global imperative that demands collaborative efforts and innovative solutions, and Namibia is poised to play a pivotal role in this global transition agenda,” he said.

“This will not only be achieved through the sustainable beneficiation of our primary energy resources, but also through the development of green and blue economic growth and energies, investing in platforms that facilitate dialogue and partnership, skills and technology transfers, as well as trade between Africa and the rest of the world,” he said.

According to a statement from the NIPDB, the three-day summit themed’From Ambition to Action: Fuelling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution’, will bring together heads of state, government agencies, industry business leaders, project developers, investors, thought leaders and technologists from across Africa and around the globe to drive critical investment and financing into bankable green energy projects.

As a dynamic and innovative investment platform, the Global African Hydrogen Summit will provide a variety of engagement opportunities, including an educative masterclass, high-level leadership dialogues, a strategic conference, project investment boardroom roundtables and a technology and innovation hub.

Alweendo said the summit will be the first platform of its kind to be leveraged by African governments, investors, financiers, scholars and the public to unlock additional opportunities for the continent and its partners.

“It will also provide a platform for the global players in the hydrogen value chain to showcase their projects, plans and technologies to the African continent,” said Alweendo.

GAh2S will focus on the global role Africa expects to play in the hydrogen market, will facilitate collaboration and advance dialogue across policy, investment and the emerging hydrogen value chain.

Clean hydrogen can cover a significant portion of the global energy transition needs, especially in hard-to-abate sectors and industries such as steel manufacturing and aviation.

Several African countries – most notably Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa – are actively pursuing clean hydrogen production.

These countries formed the collective Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance in May 2023 to collaborate on capacity creation, financing, certification, and regulatory and policy agendas of green hydrogen development in Africa.

By 2050, the annual investment required is expected to more than double to US$160 billion, with the focus of investment likely shifting to an expected 43% of capital expenditure spent on hydrogen.

With an abundance of solar and wind energy resources, as well as the availability of unpopulated land, Namibia has a unique potential to enable low-cost green hydrogen production.

The country is currently investing in the research and development of green hydrogen technologies, through the engagement of and support from foreign institutions and partner countries like Germany.

In May, the government of Namibia and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy announced a deal for the next phase of a US$10 billion green hydrogen project that will export green hydrogen to Europe once complete.

– matthew@namibian.com.na