SASSCAL Set for Green Hydrogen Symposium
Themed "Green Hydrogen in Practice: Pilot Projects and Y4H2 Scholarships," the event will take place at the Windhoek Country Club from March 26th to 27th, 2024.
WINDHOEK, Namibia -The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL), a joint initiative of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Germany, is set to host a Green Hydrogen Symposium next week in Windhoek, Namibia, writes AfricaBrief Special Correspondent.
Themed "Green Hydrogen in Practice: Pilot Projects and Y4H2 Scholarships," the event will take place at the Windhoek Country Club from March 26th to 27th, 2024.
According to SASSCAL, the symposium aims to provide a comprehensive mid-term status report on the ongoing Pilot Projects and the Youth for Green Hydrogen (Y4H2) scholarships in Namibia.
It will serve as a platform for key stakeholders to witness the advancements and achievements in the Green Hydrogen sector, showcasing the progress and results of projects under the Joint Communique of Intent (JCoI).
Over the two-day event, various panel discussions will explore the SADC governments' preparedness for Green Hydrogen, with representatives from Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia participating. Presentations on skilling the Green Hydrogen economy, academic representations, and green hydrogen pilot projects will also be featured.
Recipients of grants for pilot projects will present their projects, sharing insights into progress, highlights, challenges, and ongoing capacity-building initiatives under the Y4H2 scholarship program.
Research institutions, industry players from Namibia and Germany, and the program coordinator SASSCAL will have an opportunity to explore future collaboration opportunities.
The symposium will be attended by representatives from the diplomatic community, including those from Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia, as well as the Namibian Presidency, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), relevant line ministries, the German Embassy in Windhoek, universities, vocational training centers, project partners, and industry representatives.
According to SASSCAL, the symposium's outcomes will contribute to a clear and achievable upscaling or sustainability plan for a Green Hydrogen economy.
Namibia aims to become a green hydrogen superpower in the coming decade, positioning itself as a leader in the emerging markets and an international exporter of green hydrogen.
The country's abundance of solar and wind resources makes it suitable for low-cost green hydrogen production.
The bilateral cooperation between Namibia and Germany in the field of green hydrogen, formalized through the Joint Communique of Intent (JCoI) signed in August 2021, seeks to promote sustainable development and energy transition to zero-emission energy in Namibia through the development of green hydrogen production capacities and the establishment of corresponding value chains.
The partnership, worth a capital expense of €40 million over five years beginning in January 2022, aims to invest efforts in green hydrogen energy in Namibia, which is expected to have a positive catalytic effect on Southern Africa's energy sector, climate management, and sustainable economic development.