The Ministry of Mines and Energy has announced the launch of the Implementation Authority Office under the Green Hydrogen Namibia Programme to be headed by Green Hydrogen Commissioner James Mnyupe.
The office will assume responsibility for the planning, procurement, and oversight of forthcoming green hydrogen projects located on state-owned lands.
Mnyupe, who also retains his duties as Economic Advisor to President Hage Geingob, is set to lead the programme for five years and will report directly to the Minister of Mines and Energy in this regard and will be responsible for recruiting the necessary team to drive the programme’s success in the upcoming months.
“The Ministry of Mines and Energy is pleased to announce the commissioning of the Implementation Authority Office under the GH2 (Green Hydrogen) Namibia Programme. This programme will utilise funding from development partners and, if needed, the Namibian Government, to bolster the Ministry’s efforts in realising the goals of the Namibian Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy,” said the ministry.
The office is the first objective of the Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy launched in November 2022.
The Strategy was developed in line with the directives of the Economic Advancement Pillar of the second Harambee Prosperity Plan and aimed to explore the potential of Green Hydrogen and Ammonia industries and create a relevant country Strategy.
The Strategy outlined a 12-point plan to be executed by March 2025 and the first step was to establish an Implementation Authority Office to support the Ministry of Mines and Energy in implementing the Strategy.
Some of the key objectives in the strategy are to establish an effective operational structure, develop a strong and embed network of partners, and create shared prosperity for Namibians.
Furthermore, the strategy aims to launch pilot projects to build knowledge, local EPC companies and capabilities to construct and deliver local component manufacturing amongst others.
Last month, the government and Hyphen Hydrogen Energy launched the socioeconomic development (SED) framework for Namibia’s landmark US$10-billion green hydrogen project.
The framework is an integral part of the feasibility and implementation agreement (FIA), which demonstrates the government’s commitment to incorporating SED targets for green hydrogen developers in the implementation of Namibia’s green hydrogen strategy.
The SED framework sets out the process to agree on the project’s targets concerning employment, local procurement, skills development, and enterprise and supplier development.
Hyphen estimates that the project will create up to 15,000 new jobs during the construction phase and 3,000 permanent jobs during its operation upon completion of both phases. There is a target for 90% of these jobs to be filled by Namibians, with 20% specifically targeted for youth.
