WINDHOEK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Namibia can align its green hydrogen ambitions with policy priorities outlined in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), creating broader opportunities for technology transfer, skills development, and financing in the sector, a Namibian expert has said.
As China continues to emphasize green development, renewable energy expansion, and technological innovation in its development planning, this policy orientation is expected to provide stronger support for practical cooperation with Namibia in its energy transition, said Zivayi Chiguvare, acting director of the Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute at the University of Namibia.
"Namibia can align its green hydrogen strategy with these priorities to unlock cooperation opportunities in technology transfer, skills development, and financing," Chiguvare said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
He said that such alignment could help move bilateral cooperation beyond individual projects toward broader industrial development, while enabling Namibia to build local capacity in a sector expected to play a key role in its future economic transformation.
Namibia has positioned green hydrogen as a strategic growth area, leveraging its abundant solar and wind resources to develop large-scale renewable energy-based industries. Chinese enterprises have already played an increasingly visible role in this process, he said.
One example is the multi-billion-U.S.-dollar Hyphen Hydrogen Energy project, which is expected to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia at scale, according to the expert.
The progress of such projects demonstrates how practical cooperation with China is already helping advance Namibia's hydrogen sector, Chiguvare said, adding that "Chinese expertise and products could be harnessed into green hydrogen development projects through mutually beneficial agreements."
Chiguvare noted that Namibia still lacks domestic manufacturing capacity in critical segments of the hydrogen value chain, including electrolyzers, desalination and water purification systems, ammonia synthesis units, and hydrogen storage infrastructure.
In this context, China's strength in manufacturing and renewable energy deployment could help Namibia bridge technological and industrial gaps while creating room for deeper bilateral cooperation, he said.
He added that Namibia's ambitions will also depend heavily on expanding renewable energy capacity, where China's experience is particularly relevant.
"Large solar photovoltaic capacity plants are needed for the production of green hydrogen at an economic scale," he said. "The expertise that China has in such large plants is needed in Namibia."
He also stressed that the development of the hydrogen sector will require greater investment in skills and human capital.
"Namibia needs expertise along the whole green hydrogen value chain. Artisans, technicians, scientists, engineers, logistics, operation, and maintenance personnel are needed at each stage of hydrogen production and handling, as well as transportation," said Chiguvare, noting that partnerships between Namibian and Chinese institutions could create joint short courses, introduce new training fields, and strengthen existing programs.
For Chiguvare, China-Namibia cooperation in the green sector carries significance beyond bilateral ties, offering a potential blueprint for the wider continent.
"A model built through China-Namibia cooperation, aimed at achieving 100 percent energy access in Namibia by integrating off-grid island systems with hydrogen as a storage medium, could be established and, if successful, replicated in other countries," he said. ■
