Minister in the Presidency Christine ||Hoëbes says that the world is facing increasing pressures as a result of climate change, which puts millions of lives at risk.

||Hoëbes made this observation at the groundbreaking ceremony of the HyIron-Green Iron Oshivela plant, which is the first of its kind in the world.

She warned that calamities from droughts in Africa and rising temperatures in Europe and other parts of the world to unprecedented flooding in South Asia are threatening food security and human safety.

These, ||Hoëbes said, are stark reminders that there is an urgent need for concerted, meaningful action and political will to arrest climate change and address its related global challenges, and Namibia is ready to rise to this challenge.

"In the context of the HyIon Oshivela, the goal is realised by the use of Namibian green hydrogen to add further value to our own iron ore and ultimately manufacture direct reduced iron (DRI) right here in Namibia. Local value addition leads to the creation of jobs in the value chain and throughout the wider economy. By enhancing our products through local processing, we can command higher market prices, increasing the economic benefits for Namibia."