President Nangolo Mbumba assured global leaders attending the Hydrogen 2024 Summit and Exhibition held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, that the Namibian government, together with national and international stakeholders, will continue to work together to unlock the massive potential of Green Hydrogen.
“Over the past few years, government through the Green Hydrogen Council, has worked tirelessly to position Namibia as the primary leader in the global market for Green Hydrogen and we are now starting to see concrete visible results,” Mbumba said.
The Hydrogen Summit, which took place from 13 to 15 May 2024, was oganised by the Sustainable Energy Council in partnership with the Government of the Netherlands, the City of Rotterdam, and the Port of Rotterdam.
Mbumba said Namibia, like many African countries, views the 21st Century as a potentially transformative era for the continent, in which it can utilise new, greener and cleaner technologies to leapfrog towards industrialisation and subsequent economic transformation.
He said this will enable the continent to create jobs, greatly reduce poverty and build inclusive, peaceful and stable societies that will give rise to genuine and lasting progress.
Mbumba acknowledged that in Namibia the Green Hydrogen initiative was the brainchild of the late former president Dr Hage Geingob, who recognised in early 2021, the catalytic role the sector can play in reconstructing the Namibian economy.
“As a result of his tireless efforts, today Namibia hosts nine hydrogen projects, across two developing hydrogen valleys, with the potential for a third valley to be anchored by its abundant iron ore potential,” Mbumba said.
The President said Green Hydrogen offers opportunities beyond just clean molecule production, it holds the potential to anchor new industries in emerging markets across the globe. “Namibia has always harboured a desire to become an indispensable logistics hub to the Southern African region. To enhance this ambition, we are now developing an ammonia bunkering hub and a green hydrogen powered train to decarbonise shipping and long-haul logistics routes, ensuring that goods and commodities transported via our port infrastructure minimises both scope 2 and scope 3 emissions. This will not only increase the competitiveness of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz as harbours of choice for key exporters and importers, but we believe it will increase the competitiveness of our regional goods, augment the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), thereby boosting intra-African trade in the process,” said Mbumba.
