Niël Terblanché
Namibia is set to become the host of the inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAh2S) from 3 to 5 September 2024, as part of its commitment to COP28 initiatives.
The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDDB) made the announcement and said that the three-day summit will bring together heads of state, government agencies, industry business leaders, project developers, investors, and technologists from across Africa and around the world.
According to the NIPDB, the primary objective of the very first summit of its kind will be to drive critical investments and financing into bankable green energy projects.
At the summit’s official launch, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, stressed the pressing climate crisis and the urgent need to transition to clean and sustainable energy sources.
He noted that this transition is a global imperative requiring collaborative efforts and innovative solutions, and added that Namibia is poised to play a pivotal role in this global transition agenda.
“Africa’s energy position is changing, and it is against this backdrop that as a country, we are positioning ourselves as the sustainable energy capital of Africa,” Alweendo said.
He said that this positioning would involve the sustainable beneficiation of primary energy resources and the development of green and blue economic growth and energies, fostering dialogue, partnerships, skills and technology transfers, and trade between Africa and the rest of the world.
The summit is themed “From Ambition to Action: Fuelling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution” and it will focus on Africa’s global role in the hydrogen market, encouraging collaboration in policy and investment.
Several African countries, including Namibia, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, and South Africa, actively pursue clean hydrogen production.
These countries have collectively formed the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance to collaborate on capacity creation, financing, certification, and regulatory and policy agendas for green hydrogen development in Africa.
The launch of the Global African Hydrogen Summit is part of Namibia’s COP28 program, organized by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), DMG events, and Vasco Da Gama Energy.
Clean hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in the global energy transition, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel manufacturing and aviation.
A report by McKinsey & Company projects that by 2050, annual investments required in this sector will more than double to US$160 billion.
With its abundant solar and wind energy resources and unpopulated land, Namibia is well-positioned for low-cost green hydrogen production.
The country is actively investing in research and development of green hydrogen technologies with support from foreign institutions and partner countries like Germany.
Namibia and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy announced a US$10 billion green hydrogen project in May 2023, aiming to export hydrogen produced using green energy to Europe upon completion.
The Global African Hydrogen Summit promises to become a significant platform for African governments, investors, financiers, scholars, and the public to unlock additional opportunities for the continent and its partners.
It will also serve as a showcase for global players in the hydrogen value chain to present their projects, plans, and technologies to the African continent.
The summit will also aim to identify and harness Africa’s potential for green manufacturing, creating jobs, and industries, and addressing energy poverty sustainably.
