Namibia Officially Inaugurate Global African Hydrogen Summit 2024
Namibian Mines and Energy Minister, Honourable Tom Alweendo officially launched the Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAH2S) in Windhoek, with representation from over 26 countries and attendance from stakeholders spanning the burgeoning hydrogen sector value chain.
This pioneering investment and multi stakeholder engagement platform is the first of its kind on the continent and will be hosted from 3 – 5 September 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Honourable Alweendo reflected that climate change and energy security are inevitable challenges
Honourable Alweendo reflected that climate change and energy security are inevitable challenges, with climate innovation and decarbonisation being a critical response towards a more sustainable future. Hydrogen has emerged as a key solution to meet Africa’s energy needs with Namibia poised to play a pivotal role in the acceleration towards net zero.
The Minister emphasised the importance of partnerships and collaboration stating: “We understand the importance of adopting a pan-African approach to engaging with the world, aiming to explore and capitalise on the value brought by the development and implementation of all carbon technologies contributing to the realisation of green industrialisation and sustainable growth for African economies”.
Namibia is strategically poised to become the sustainable energy capital of Africa with the potential to produce green hydrogen at less than one and a half US dollars per kilogram. Additional advantages include an abundance of solar and wind resources, 46.7 million tons of biomass that can be harvested sustainably and a vast, sparsely populated land mass.
James Mnyupe, Green Hydrogen Commissioner of Namibia welcomed the era of green industrialisation in Namibia with “hydrogen in itself not being an end, but an accelerator towards the Government’s vision 2030.”
Nangula Uaandja, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board also shared the Government’s ambitions for green investments as well as the importance of local content, skills development, youth engagement and opportunities for the entire hydrogen value chain integration, including MSMEs.
Africa holds a key to decarbonising the global energy system and can become a leading player in hydrogen made from renewables. However, there are many challenges including financing, investment, infrastructure development, policy, regulation, standards, technology, demand generation and a fragmented financial market to trade. Therefore, partnerships and collaboration are fundamental to driving progress.
Theme of the summit clearly outlined
The Global African Hydrogen Summit has therefore been born out of a deep necessity (at the highest level) to solve for these challenges by inclusively convening heads of state, ministers, government agencies, developers, investors, technologists, academia, youth, startups, end users and civil society to facilitate collaboration, shape policy, drive critical investment and financing, and broker deal and project closure.
Themed From Ambition to Action: Fuelling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution, the dynamic three-day Summit will showcase pan-African project and investment opportunities across the hydrogen, renewables, power, infrastructure, transportation, and mobility sectors.
Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Namibia, through the Ministry of Mines & Energy and supported by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board as a strategic partner, the summit is projected to attract over 2000 attendees from over 65 global countries.
As the continent looks to pioneer green industrialisation at scale, Hon. Alweendo reiterated: “On behalf of the Namibian government, I hereby extend an invitation to our fellow African countries, and the rest of the world to join us at the Global Africa Hydrogen Summit in Windhoek, to exchange ideas and forge partnerships that will help us unlock the full potential of our renewable energy resources, enhance energy security on the continent and beyond.”
In its inaugural edition to be hosted in Namibia, the pioneering three-day Global African Hydrogen Summit (GAH2S) will convene 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 investments and financing into bankable green energy projects of strategic and national importance across Africa, spanning hydrogen, renewables, power, infrastructure, transportation and mobility.
As a dynamic and innovative investment platform, GAH2S will provide a variety of engagement opportunities including educative masterclasses, high level leadership dialogues, a world class strategic conference, project investment boardroom roundtables, and an international exhibition and innovation Hub.
Byline: Eric Maina
