The Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for transparency in the implementation of green hydrogen projects to minimise the risk of corruption.
Graham Hopwood made the call at the launch of the 2nd Edition of the Green Hydrogen Monitor presentation over the weekend.
Hopwood highlighted that, in a country that has gone through the Fishrot Corruption Scandal and the collapse of the SME Bank, there is no reason to believe that the green hydrogen sector is immune.
He pointed out that at present, the industry is at risk due to a lack of transparency, seen in the refusal to release key documents and agreements, as well as unclear processes, particularly concerning access to finance and land, inadequate community consultation, and the presence of politically exposed persons within company structures.
"I am picking up and I think others are also when it comes to corruption and money laundering is that people have political connections either through themselves or proxies in company structures, licence access, and agreements, and one of the solutions which Namibia is moving very slowly to is to implement a benefit ownership system, which means it will be illegal to try and obscure who is owning the company and who is behind a particular company."
He advised that the renewable energy sector take heed to lessons learnt from anti-corruption efforts in the extractive sector by applying the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
"Well, the good news is that the GH sector actually has its own standards in terms of governance, transparency, and accountability. It's being developed by the Swizz Green Hydrogen Organisation and was launched in 2022. This is something I am stressing about; it's 28 pages long, and I urge you to read it."
The IPPR stressed that the green hydrogen sector faces scrutiny.
"Let us start doing some fact-checking before we go out in the public and start saying things. We are definitely new in the space and haven't shared much info, but we have started with a frequent ask section to provide as much information we can on it," said the Geat of Impact at NGH2P, Eline van der Linden.
Economist Robin Sherbourne urged the government to ensure that it puts in place policies and regulations to encourage foreign investors' interest in green hydrogen while allowing local citizens to benefit, ensuring that the environment is protected and that the necessary logistical infrastructure is in place.