WINDHOEK, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has announced plans to mobilize about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars for green hydrogen projects, as the Global African Hydrogen Summit wrapped up Thursday in the capital, Windhoek, after drawing more than 1,500 participants from over 75 countries.
"We are trying to mobilize Namibia's share of about 1.7 billion dollars that we now want to bring home and start deploying into our projects," Namibia's Green Hydrogen Commissioner James Mnyupe told delegates Wednesday. "Namibia has now gone beyond the realms of dreaming, and it's now beginning to construct, beginning to produce, and beginning to implement."
The three-day summit, held under the theme "Ambition in Action: Fuelling Africa's Green Industrial Revolution," gathered over 25 ministers, 125 experts, financiers, project developers, and youth representatives to discuss financing, infrastructure, community benefits, and over 50 bankable hydrogen projects across Africa.
Natangue Ithete, Namibia's deputy prime minister and minister of industries, mines and energy, urged leaders to deliver tangible results. "We have spoken enough; we have written enough. Now let us transform our speeches into real results that our people can see and feel," he said, stressing the need for jobs, training, and empowerment.
Namibia is positioning itself as a continental hub for green hydrogen with projects such as the Daures ammonia sulphate plant, new hydrogen refueling stations, and the launch of zero-emission green iron production.
To support its ambitions, the country plans to establish the African Sustainable Industrialization Institute in Windhoek as a center of excellence for policy development, capital mobilization, and knowledge sharing.
"This will be a continental center of excellence, headquartered in Namibia, but really in service of all of our peers across the continent in the name of advancing the ideals of Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area," said Mnyupe.
A visiting Chinese delegation also highlighted Africa's comparative advantage in hydrogen production.
"Africa's strategic geographic location, close to major hydrogen demand centers such as Europe and Asia, positions it well to attract investment through international cooperation and trade," said Wang Ziyuan, vice chairman of the China Hydrogen Development and Innovation Alliance for Urban Gas, during the summit.
He added that China's own experience could also offer important experience for Africa's hydrogen development. "After years of technological progress and pilot applications across the hydrogen industry chain, from production, storage, transport, and refueling to end use, China has gradually become one of the internationally influential players," Wang said. ■