Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, Natangwe Ithete, has urged greater effort to ensure that the country’s emerging hydrogen economy delivers measurable benefits for citizens, particularly young people, women and workers.
Speaking at the Global African Hydrogen Summit 2025 in Windhoek, Ithete stressed that projects must translate into real improvements in livelihoods, education, skills development and local empowerment.
“For Namibia, green industrialisation is a catalyst to breaking the cycle of exporting raw materials and import-dependency. 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 Namibian young people, women, and workers in our towns and villages are direct beneficiaries of this green transition,” he said on Wednesday.
The Minister commended large-scale initiatives such as Hyphen Green Hydrogen, Daures Green Hydrogen, Oshivela HyIron and Cleanergy Solutions for their progress, but cautioned that success must be measured by tangible community impact.
“Our work is not done if the youth in our villages cannot point to the impact of these projects in their lives. Let this conference bear roadmaps to answering these questions, not through estimations but in practice,” Ithete told delegates.
He reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to policies outlined in NDP6 and adherence to Environmental, Social and Governance principles, emphasising that “true success lies in visible improvements in citizens’ lives.”
Ithete also called for accountability from both leaders and investors, insisting that projects must demonstrate measurable outcomes. “Each project should show results such as schools built, skills transferred, and families lifted out of poverty,” he said.
He concluded by urging stakeholders to “match ambition with action, policy with impact, and vision with delivery” to advance Africa’s green industrial revolution.
