President rejects oil-vs-hydrogen choice, says mix key to growth

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has dismissed the idea of an either-or approach to energy, saying Namibia needs both green hydrogen and oil and gas to drive its development.“It’s not a question of choosing between green hydrogen and oil and gas, but rather having a mix where they complement one another,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.The president was speaking to Veronica Bolton Smith, founder and CEO of the Critical Minerals Africa Group, during a one-on-one fireside conversation in New York under the overarching theme 'Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future'.Nandi-Ndaitwah said green hydrogen is “one of the important projects that we have in Namibia”, but stressed that it is only one component of the country’s broader energy strategy.“Having also now discovered oil and gas, for us it’s not a question of a choice between green hydrogen and the oil and gas, but rather a mix for them to complement one another.”The president said Namibia is still “at the initial stage of our development” and that, as a mineral-based country, it is positioning itself for industrialisation.“And for this to happen, we need energy,” she said. The shortage of energy, the president added, extends beyond Namibia.“And the energy gap is not only in Namibia, it is in South Africa, it is in Africa."In light of this, Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed the country wants "all of them to work in parallel in order to contribute significantly to where we want to take our development".Early stages of developmentNandi-Ndaitwah said this is why the Namibian government supports the green hydrogen programme while also supporting other energy sources, summarising Namibia’s approach as embracing a mix of potential energy sources."Even if we discover coal today, we have to make use of it,” she said.Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia remains committed to reducing emissions but cautioned against an energy transition that places developing countries at a disadvantage.“But it’s also true that the energy transition should not happen at the expense of the developing countries. And Namibia is one of them," she said.“So, it’s on that basis that we are supporting the green hydrogen project. We welcome it. Let it come and be part of our energy mix,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

President rejects oil-vs-hydrogen choice, says mix key to growth

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-22

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President rejects oil-vs-hydrogen choice, says mix key to growth

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-22

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