The Chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Tobie Aupindi, has pledged Parliament’s support in strengthening the legislative framework governing Namibia’s emerging green hydrogen industry.
Speaking during a briefing on the Hyphen Green Hydrogen Project, Aupindi said Parliament’s role extends beyond oversight to ensuring that the country’s legal framework supports investment while addressing legislative gaps that could hinder the industry’s growth.
“We need to identify the gaps within the legislative framework and determine what we can do to ensure this transition is smooth, and that the legal environment is conducive and healthy for investors and companies to operate,” Aupindi said.
He said the committee remained concerned about the level of local participation in sectors under its oversight, including mining and energy, stressing that local content commitments must translate into meaningful economic opportunities for Namibians.
“As we travel around the country and benchmark internationally, we remain concerned about the participation of local people in the supply chains of industries within our portfolio, particularly mining and energy,” he said.
Aupindi said Parliament would continue advocating for policies that promote the economic empowerment of communities disadvantaged under colonial rule, adding that local content should go beyond companies merely registered in Namibia.
“We have to be systematic and intentional in including local people. When we speak about local, we are not referring only to Namibian-registered companies, but also to black-owned enterprises, because these are the people who were denied economic opportunities under colonial laws,” he said.
Aupindi also expressed concern over what he described as a perceived slowdown in the implementation of the Hyphen Green Hydrogen Project, saying Parliament was keen to see the project succeed because of its strategic importance to the country’s economy.
“I must also say that there appears to be a degree of slowdown. Whether that is real or merely a perception, it is a matter of serious concern to us. Our strategic objective is to ensure that this project succeeds because, if it succeeds, Namibia succeeds economically,” he said.
During the briefing, committee members were informed that the Government of Namibia holds a 24% equity stake in the Hyphen Green Hydrogen Project through the Sovereign Wealth Fund, with the shareholding managed by the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF).
Hyphen Green Hydrogen Chief Executive Officer Marco Raffinetti said the government’s equity stake has not been financed from the national budget. Instead, development costs associated with the state’s shareholding have been funded through grants provided by development partners, including the governments of the Netherlands and other European countries.
According to the briefing, the financing structure enables the government to build long-term value through its equity participation while limiting its financial exposure during the project’s development phase.
