Allexer Namundjembo
The Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGHP) welcomes constructive criticism regarding the industry.
NGHP spokesperson, Jona Musheko said this on Monday following an incident involving veteran journalist Jemima Beukes, who is being disciplined by her employer, Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) for excessively negative reporting on last year’s Global African Hydrogen Summit.
Musheko said the organisation has not issued any directives on how journalists should report on green hydrogen initiatives.
“We have not issued any formal complaints regarding the journalist in question or any other reporters. Furthermore, we have no concerns regarding perceived negative reporting on the sector,” said Musheko.
According to him, an open dialogue and diverse perspectives are key to the ongoing development and refinement of the sector’s impact on local communities.
He said constructive feedback is invaluable as it helps inform and improve the social impact of green hydrogen development in the country.
The hearing with Beukes concluded on Friday, and a verdict is expected soon.
Beukes said that she returned to work despite attending the hearing.
Beukes explained that the dispute stemmed from her questioning the involvement of British nationals handling administrative work during the Global African Hydrogen Summit held in Windhoek during September last year.
The summit was held under the official patronage and hosted by the Government of Namibia, endorsed by the Ministry of Mines & Energy of Namibia, held in partnership with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), and supported by the Namibia Green Hydrogen Council and the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme (NGH2P).
“I asked in the (NIPDB) group about the types of visas they used to enter Namibia, as the administrative tasks seemed simple, and we have qualified Namibians who could do the same work,” Beukes said.
When she did not receive answers to her inquiries, she was removed from the NIPDB’s media group and was not assigned to cover green hydrogen events.
The Windhoek Observer understands that the executive director of NIPDB, Nangula Uaandja, complained to NMH about Beukes’s articles on the summit.
Beukes initially wrote about the summit charging participation between N$8 952 and N$35 809 for varying sessions.
The summit was organised by the UK-based event company, DMG Events.
The NIPDB did not respond to questions from Windhoek Observer, saying they will issue a media statement today.
Windhoek Observer sought to confirm whether the NIPDB had raised any concerns or complaints regarding Beukes’ reporting on Green Hydrogen.
The newspaper also wanted to understand if the NIPDB took issue with Beukes’ coverage, especially if it portrayed Green Hydrogen negatively.
NMH, when approached for comment, did not respond either.
Last Friday, a group of journalists staged a silent protest near the NMH offices in solidarity with Beukes, who was in the disciplinary hearing without representation.
Beukes received support from the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and its affiliated journalist unions across the continent.
The federation demanded that what they described as “flagrant abuse of power” be denounced in the strongest possible terms and called for full protection for Beukes and all journalists facing oppression in Namibia.
“The persecution of a journalist in 2025 for speaking truth to power is not only indefensible but a stain on the democratic fabric of Namibia. A racial attack on a journalist, anywhere in Africa, is abhorrent, intolerable, and must be confronted head-on,” said the federation.
