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South Africa hosted the inaugural Africa Green Hydrogen Summit on Thursday, 12 June 2025, in Cape Town, where President H.E Cyril Ramaphosa told his audience that Africa can become a major player in the green hydrogen global market.
As the world shifts towards green renewable energy, decarbonising industries and transport, it may seem like a threat to Africa, as most of the economies on the continent are highly reliant of fossil fuels; however, Ramaphosa sought to put the minds of the delegates at ease, pointing towards the lucrative opportunities this shift is bringing.
He said the green hydrogen space is a viable venture for Africa, as it boasts abundant renewable resources manifested in high solar irradiance, strong winds and hydropower potential. He said the vast land of the continent has lends itself to large-scale renewable energy projects.
“We are therefore perfectly placed to leverage the global shift towards cleaner energy sources for our collective advantage. Green hydrogen is a way to marry Africa’s mineral riches with our renewable energy endowment to decarbonise heavy industries, to create jobs, to stimulate investment and to unlock inclusive growth across borders.
The growing global demand for clean hydrogen as countries decarbonise their industries, transport, and energy systems presents unlimited opportunities for our continent. As demand for green hydrogen grows, so does demand for platinum group metals, sustaining and expanding our continent’s mining and refining industries. Africa is rising to meet this moment of opportunity and potential,” said Ramaphosa.
Pointing the opportunities that Africa can leverage on, he said it is estimated that this green hydrogen venture could create between two and four million new jobs in Alliance member states by 2050. He said the Alliance’s ambition targets 30 to 60 million tons of green hydrogen production by 2050.
Cyril Ramaphosa explained that the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance brings together a number of African nations, including Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.
He said more than 52 large-scale green hydrogen projects have been announced across the continent. These include the Coega Green Ammonia project in South Africa, the AMAN project in Mauritania and Project Nour in Morocco.
“To make use of these opportunities, we need to establish appropriate policy and regulatory environments. We must continue to move as a continent to develop regional certification schemes, hydrogen corridors and green product export platforms.
We commend the work of countries like Mauritania, which has taken early steps on certification. It will be critical that we learn from one another and converge on standards that work for Africa,” appealed the President of South Africa.
