TIRI MASAWI
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Natangue Ithete has challenged players in the green hydrogen industry to ensure that the investments received translate to tangible opportunities for Namibians.
Speaking at the Global Africa Hydrogen Conference on Wednesday Ithete said the government wants to see the country’s healthcare, education as well the standard of living for Namibians improving from the hyped green hydrogen industry investments.
“My message to you today is simple: We have spoken enough, we have written enough, now let us transform our speeches into real results that our people can see and feel. Let us make a real impact in livelihood, access to health services and education.
“For Namibia, green industrialisation is a pathway to dignity, jobs, and empowerment for our communities. It is a catalyst to breaking the cycle of exporting raw materials and import-dependency,” he said.
He said Namibia and many other African countries are pushing to accrue maximum benefits for their resources.
“ Our collective vision must be to process our minerals here in Namibia, and Africa to power our homes and industries with our own renewable resources and build a new economy where Namibians—young people, women, and workers in our towns and villages— are direct beneficiaries of this green transition,” Ithete said.
The Deputy Prime Minister commend the visible investments in large scale production of green hydrogen.
He said the key investments are essential to Namibia’s ambition to become a green hydrogen hub for Africa.
“In this area, let us now work on consuming what we produce locally to drive local industrialisation, value addition, and energy security,” he said.
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