Sostenus Wilherm
Namibia must move beyond exporting green hydrogen and instead build the scientific, technological and industrial capabilities needed to ensure Namibians own and drive the country’s emerging green hydrogen economy, Vice President Lucia Witbooi has said.
Speaking at the official launch of the REALTEST Green Hydrogen Research Project at the University of Namibia (UNAM) Main Campus in Windhoek on Monday, Witbooi said Namibia’s green hydrogen ambitions should form part of a broader strategy to transform the country into a knowledge-driven industrial economy.
She said the country’s abundant renewable energy resources provide Namibia with a strong foundation to become one of the world’s competitive producers of green hydrogen and green ammonia but warned that the national ambition should extend beyond exporting green molecules.
“Our ambition is to build an industrial economy. Our ambition is to create more prosperous and resilient communities. Our ambition is to develop knowledge-intensive industries,” Witbooi said.
She added that Namibia must ensure its citizens become scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs and industrial leaders capable of shaping the emerging sector.
According to Witbooi, true industrialisation can only be achieved when a country develops its own scientific capabilities and technological expertise, enabling its people to innovate, adapt and compete in the global economy.
“Therefore, our goal must be to industrialise ourselves as a nation,” she said, stressing that the process begins in universities, laboratories, research institutions and innovation ecosystems.
The REALTEST project is expected to contribute to this objective by strengthening Namibia’s capabilities in advanced research, hydrogen safety, materials testing, engineering innovation and scientific development.
Witbooi said these capabilities would be essential if Namibia is to participate across the entire green hydrogen value chain, rather than limiting its role to the production and export of hydrogen and related products.
The value chain, she said, includes research, design, resource assessment, materials development, manufacturing and production, as well as the operation, maintenance and servicing of green hydrogen facilities.
“Countries that lead in science are better positioned to lead in industrialisation,” Witbooi said.
She linked the government’s green hydrogen and research agenda to the Sixth National Development Plan and Vision 2030, both of which place emphasis on science, technology, innovation and industrialisation as drivers of economic transformation.
Witbooi said the government was committed to strengthening scientific leadership and research infrastructure through institutions of higher learning such as UNAM.
She also called for greater investment in entrepreneurship and technology transfer to ensure that scientific discoveries and research findings do not remain confined to academic institutions but are converted into industrial applications, products, services and businesses.
Witbooi placed particular emphasis on young Namibians, describing investment in researchers and students as an investment in the country’s future productive capacity.
“The laboratories we build today can become the industrial capabilities of tomorrow,” she said.
She challenged UNAM to strengthen its position as a centre for scientific discovery, technological advancement and applied research, saying the university has a responsibility that extends beyond teaching and tertiary education.
She also welcomed the further development of UNAM’s Institute for Applied Advanced Research (IAAR), describing such institutions as critical to building a competitive and technologically capable Namibia.
She said IAAR should become a platform where ideas can be transformed into inventions, innovations, technologies, enterprises and ultimately industries.
The REALTEST project is being implemented through collaboration involving Namibia and Germany, with Witbooi expressing appreciation to the German government, the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, SASSCAL, Projektträger Jülich, UNAM and other implementing partners.
She described the partnership as an investment not only in infrastructure and technical cooperation, but also in knowledge, people and Namibia’s future productive capacity.
As Namibia seeks to establish itself as a major player in the global green hydrogen economy, Witbooi said the country must ensure that its natural resources are matched by investment in human capital and scientific knowledge.
“The wealth of the 21st century will not belong to the nations with the largest deposits beneath their soil, but to those with the greatest knowledge within their people,” she said.
Witbooi officially declared the REALTEST Project launched, calling on government, academia and international partners to continue investing in research, innovation and young Namibians.
