Day: May 14, 2024

WINDHOEK: Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba believes that the current century presents a significant opportunity for Namibia and other African nations to embrace new, cleaner and green technologies.

This, he said, will result in job creation, poverty reduction, and the development of inclusive, peaceful, and stable societies.

President Mbumba made these remarks in a speech he delivered on Tuesday at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

He emphasised that the Namibian Government, in collaboration with national and international stakeholders, is leading efforts to unlock the immense potential of green hydrogen.

The president told the summit that Namibia is now home to nine hydrogen projects. These projects span two emerging hydrogen valleys, with the possibility of establishing a third valley based on its abundant iron ore potential, according to Mbumba.

‘Green hydrogen offers opportunities beyond just clean molecule production, it holds the potential to anchor new industries in emerg
ing markets across the globe. Namibia has always harboured a desire to become an indispensable logistics hub to the southern African region,’ he said.

He added that Namibia’s newly developed green industrialisation blueprint ‘further illustrates how green hydrogen can be used to add value to minerals sourced from within our borders and indeed, the continent.’

‘In Namibia, we plan to produce green direct reduced iron, a key low carbon ingredient that promises to decarbonise the steel industry, which according to the international energy agency contributes to more than 8 per cent of global emissions,’ said Mbumba.

Meanwhile, Namibia is showcasing its green hydrogen potential at the three-day global hydrogen event, which started on Monday.

The government through the Green Hydrogen Council is hosting its inaugural exhibition, featuring the Daures Green Hydrogen Village as a notable industry highlight.

This project, expected to become operational in July 2024, is the most advanced hydrogen project in Namibia
and will produce renewable energy, hydrogen, and ammonia.

Meanwhile, President Mbumba invited the international community to the African Global Green Hydrogen Summit to be hosted by Namibia in September 2024.

‘At that event, we shall look to not only showcase what Namibia has delivered in terms of our green hydrogen ecosystem, but also the efforts of our peer nations on the continent,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) handled a record-breaking eight million tonnes of cargo during the financial year ending 31 March 2024.

This is in comparison to the 7,7 million tonnes of cargo handled in the previous financial year, representing a 4 per cent increase.

A media release issued by the company’s Executive for Commercial Services, Elias Mwenyo on Monday, stated that the major contributor to this growth was the exportation of goods including salt, copper concentrate, bagged salt, frozen fish, manganese ore, and zinc/lead concentrate.

Bulk salt exports saw growth of 10 per cent, copper concentrate increased by 12 per cent, and bagged salt exports witnessed a 1 per cent rise.

Frozen fish exports surged by 29 per cent, manganese ore increased by 15.7 per cent, zinc/lead concentrates grew by 2.9 per cent and marble increased by 41 per cent.

‘During the financial year 2023/2024, there were significant increases in the importation of various commodities. Notably, petroleum surged, representing
a substantial 26 per cent increase,’ he noted.

According to Mwenyo, other imported commodities that also experienced noteworthy growth, included copper concentrate, ammonium nitrate, wheat, ships spares and steel.

Additionally, the authority recorded a commendable 7.9 per cent increase in the importation of goods in comparison to the previous financial year.

‘During the financial period ended, the number of vessels calling at Namibian ports surged by 29 per cent year on year, escalating from 1 636 to 2 115 calls, primarily driven by increased activity across various vessel categories, including foreign tugs and dry bulk vessels.’

The year under review also recorded an increased occupancy rate of syncrolift facilities, where repair jetties’ occupancy rose from 64 per cent to 96 per cent, while bay occupancy lagged at 47 per cent compared to 52 per cent in the previous year.

The syncrolift is a piece of equipment for lifting boats, ships and vessels onto land for maintenance work or repairs.

The success o
f Namport’s operations, according to Mwenyo, can be attributed to building and maintaining solid relationships with key stakeholders such as the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, shipping lines, cargo owners, government agencies, and the larger port community.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Farmers in the Kunene Region have called for the zoning of Kunene North, saying the area has been free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) for the past 50 years.

The farmers suggested that dividing the red line districts into portions would aid the government’s efforts to eradicate FMD and other diseases and maintained that the fence deprives them of the lucrative meat market Southerners enjoy.

These sentiments were expressed by Ben Kapi, vice president of the Ngatuuane Farmers Union during an oversight visit and consultative meeting with stakeholders in the Kunene Region arranged by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Administration on Monday in Opuwo.

Kapi, on behalf of the farmers, urged all parties concerned to devise long-term solutions, including effective animal disease management methods, before demolishing the fence, asserting that Kunene should be designated independently considering it is free of FMD.

He stated that while the red line, or veterinary cordon fence, was erected per i
nternational animal health regulations to prevent the spread of diseases, it should be dismantled to safeguard the meat sector and increase sales north of the red line.

‘The red line residents have been treated unfairly compared to other farmers. What we want is the same treatment for us to also enjoy the market,’ he said.

According to Kapi, farmers gave the government several optionis to boost the meat market within the red line, including the quarantining of animals before sales and fencing and zoning of disease-prone areas such as the Zambezi, Kavango East, and West regions.

In response, Natangwe Ithete, head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Administration, stated that the government’s goal is to eliminate the red line.

‘We also want this fence to go and it will go, however, if we should decide now to remove the fence, our meat sales might be affected as our buyers might be affected as per the international standards with regards to livestock health, but what I can promise is th
at the fence will go,’ stated Ithete.

The red line separates northern Namibia from the central and southern parts of the country and envelopes several northern regions, including Oshana, Kavango East, Omusati, Zambezi, Omaheke, Kunene, and parts of the Khomas and Oshikoto Regions.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The Minister of Mines and Energy of Namibia, Tom Alweendo, has commended other African countries for embarking on the green hydrogen journey, just like Namibia.

In a statement delivered at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam in The Netherlands on Tuesday, Alweendo acknowledged that Namibia is not the only country in Africa on this remarkable journey.

The minister said Namibia is impressed by Morocco’s Green Hydrogen Offer and Kenya’s Guidelines on Green Hydrogen from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

He added that South Africa’s Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy is comprehensive in decarbonising heavy industry, and Mauritania’s incentive package for green hydrogen production is attractive.

‘The African Green Hydrogen Alliance now boasts 10 members. We are honoured to be in this position to learn from fellow African peers. As a continent, we no longer have to be timid about leading a discourse that is complex and nuanced. On the contrary, we have an important role to play
in telling our unique narrative on this versatile molecule,’ Alweendo said.

Minister Alweendo is a member of the Namibian delegation led by President Nangolo Mbumba, who is attending the three-day global gathering on hydrogen.

‘As Africans, we should realise that when coupled with green hydrogen, this natural resource endowment presents a generational opportunity for us to deliver long-lasting prosperity for our people and boost intra-African trade. Green industrialisation is indeed the opportunity that binds domestic, regional, and global agendas,’ he said.

He further stated that Namibia has expressed its ambitions for economic transformation through the Green Industrialisation Blueprint.

‘We estimate that the successful execution of our blueprint could unlock more than nine times our national stock of foreign direct investment between now and 2040, create more than a quarter-million jobs while abating more than 75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide,’ Alweendo said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency