The European Union has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Namibia's green industrial agenda.
The EU's Commissioner of International Partnerships said that to achieve this, the EU is committing 1 billion euros in support of Namibia's green industrialisation agenda.
Jozef Sikela, who led a high-level EU delegation, said this during a courtesy call to President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek.
Sikela said that in an effort to boost human-centered development, they have implemented a 360-degree approach, which combines investment in sustainable green hydrogen and renewable energy with strengthening regulatory framework institutions, education, and skill development.
He observed that initiatives such as the Hylron Hydrogen Project and Cleanergy Solutions hold the potential to significantly transform Namibia's economy by fostering local value chains and promoting green industrialisation.
"And according to estimates, the green hydrogen industry in Namibia could bring up to 150,000 jobs. We are committed to supporting your country in realising this potential, and of course, these green industrialisation efforts will in the future help the country to gain even more privileges in the EU market, as basically the green industrialisation and climate change agenda is very top of our priority."
President Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed Namibia's commitment to developing its green industry as part of the country's efforts to find solutions to climate change.
"Of late, a lot has been said on green hydrogen, but as we are looking into the country's development holistically and being part of the convention on the combat of climate change, we are now talking about the green industry wherever we will find an opening for our country. Though we know that we have not made a significant contribution to emissions, we are committed to being part of the solution, and where we can contribute to the reduction through the green industry, we are open to that, and we are ready."
The EU high-level delegation's visit is aimed at reinforcing the EU-Namibia partnership and seeing how the Global Gateway's investments in Namibian green industrialisation can boost job creation and development growth.
The delegation is visiting Namibia until Friday.