Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P) management is confident that whoever becomes Namibia’s next president will honour the signed contractual agreements that the company has with the current government.
This is according to the Programme’s head of environmental, social and governance Eline van der Linden.
She made the statement during a media presentation at Lüderitz over the weekend.
Van der Linden said the incoming government should let the project continue as planned, as it has the potential to turn around the country’s economic landscape.
“We have signed contracts committing both the government and Hyphen to complete this project to turn around Namibia and its people’s fortunes, so I don’t see anybody cancelling the project for no valid reason,’’ said Linden.
There have been threats from political parties to discontinue some current national projects including the N$ 10 billion green hydrogen project spearheaded by Hyphen.
Some opposition political leaders are not in support of the project and stated that if they take over the government after the November elections, their government will not continue with the project.
Independent Patriots for Change leader, Panduleni Itula, was recently quoted saying that green hydrogen is not real and Namibians should forget about the promised jobs from the project.
Landless People’s Movement leader Bernadus Swartbooi has also expressed doubt about the project’s viability and benefits to the country and its people.
Van der Linden said any government that wishes to develop further will not hinder progressive activities that are taking the country forward.
She said with contracts signed between the government and Hyphen to make Namibia produce green energy there should be nothing to fear.
‘’I have been in Namibia for many years now, and there have been changes of presidents over those years; I can’t recall any project being cancelled because there has been a change in the leadership. A good example to give is when the late President Dr Hage Geingob passed, on the same day Dr Nangolo Mbumba was sworn in to make sure the government keeps running the affairs of the country. The world was very happy to see such a smooth transition of power in our country, which is very rare in the African continent,” she said.
A group of journalists was taken on an educational tour to Lüderitz by Hyphen, which included a site visit to the infrastructures set up by the company in the Tsau //Khaeb National Park in the ||Karas region.
