: Honorable. Tom Alweendo officially opens the launch of the Global Hydrogen Summit Africa 2024
Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy, the Honorable Tom Alweendo, officially launched the Global Africa Hydrogen Summit (GAH2S) in Windhoek, with representation from over 26 countries and participation from stakeholders spanning the sector’s growing value chain hydrogen. This innovative multi-stakeholder investment and engagement platform is the first of its kind on the continent and will be hosted from 3 to 5 September 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Honorable Alweendo opined that climate change and energy security are inevitable challenges, with climate innovation and decarbonisation a critical response towards a more sustainable future. Hydrogen has emerged as a key solution to meeting Africa’s energy needs with Namibia poised to play a key role in the acceleration towards net zero.
The Minister emphasized the importance of partnerships and collaboration stating: βWe understand the importance of adopting a pan-African approach to working with the world to explore and harness the value offered by the development and application of all carbon technologies that contribute to the realization of green industrialization and sustainable development for African economiesβ.
Namibia is strategically poised to become Africa’s sustainable energy capital with the ability 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 sustainably harvestable biomass, and a vast, sparsely populated land mass.
James Mnyupe, Namibia’s Green Hydrogen Commissioner welcomed the era of green industrialization in Namibia with “hydrogen not being an end in itself, but an accelerator towards the government’s 2030 vision”.
Nangula Uaandja, President and CEO of the Investment Promotion and Development Board of Namibia also shared the government’s ambitions for green investment as well as the importance of local content, skills development, youth engagement and opportunities for the entire integration chain of hydrogen value, including SMEs.
Africa holds the key to decarbonizing the global energy system and can become a leading player in hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. However, there are many challenges such as financing, investment, infrastructure development, policy, regulation, standards, technology, demand generation and a fragmented trade finance market. Partnerships and collaboration are therefore fundamental to driving progress.
The Global Africa Hydrogen Summit Therefore, it was born out of a deep need (at the highest level) to solve these challenges by inclusively convening heads of state, ministers, government agencies, developers, investors, technologists, academia, youth, startups, end users and civil society facilitating cooperation, shaping policy, driving critical investment and financing, and brokering agreement and closing projects.
Thematic From Aspiration to Action: Fueling Africa’s Green Industrial Revolutionthe dynamic three-day Summit will showcase pan-African projects and investment opportunities in the fields of hydrogen, renewables, energy, infrastructure, transport and mobility.
Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Namibia, through the Ministry of Mines & Energy and supported by the Investment Promotion and Development Board of Namibia as a strategic partner, the summit is expected to attract more than 2000 participants from over 65 countries worldwide.
As the continent looks forward to pioneering green industrialization at scale, Hon. Alweendo reiterated: βOn behalf of the Government of Namibia, I 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 create partnerships that will help us unlock the full potential of our renewable energy sources, enhancing energy security on the continent and beyond.”