Green Hydrogen Development in South Africa and Namibia: Opportunities and Challenges for International Cooperation

South Africa and Namibia are seeking to become leaders in green hydrogen production. Leveraging world-class renewable energy resources, both nations are working to scale their green hydrogen production capabilities. However, given their very different starting points, they also face different opportunities and challenges. In particular, South Africa hopes to develop its green hydrogen industry through green ammonia exports and applications in hard-to-abate industries, namely steel, chemicals, and aviation fuel. It also seeks to leverage its reserves of so-called platinum grade metals to position the country as a produce of protone-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, which rely on this rare metal. Namibia has mainly focused on the development of green ammonia exports, though policy documents have also identified potential opportunities for the production of green steel and aviation fuels. Given green hydrogen’s technological complexity and the countries' export-oriented ambitions, both countries must cooperate with foreign actors to facilitate technology sharing, financial flows, and technical assistance. To this end, international partnerships are playing a pivotal role in the development of both countries’ green hydrogen industries.