Partnerships for green hydrogen - Dr. Stefan Kaufmann (Member of the German Bundestag) visits South Africa and Namibia

South Africa and Namibia are countries with great potential for the production of green hydrogen. In order to fully exploit this potential, Dr. Stefan Kaufmann (MdB) and Dr. Christoph Rövekamp visited the two countries in November. The aim of the visit was the exchange with stakeholders from science and industry, the development of new ideas for the production of green hydrogen and the establishment of new partnerships.

From November 11 to 14, 2020, the Federal Commissioner for Green Hydrogen and Member of the German Bundestag (MdB), Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, traveled to South Africa and Namibia together with Dr. Christoph Rövekamp, Head of the Energy and Green Hydrogen Technologies Division at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The aim of the visit was the exchange with stakeholders from science and industry, the development of new ideas for the production of green hydrogen and the establishment of new partnerships. Green hydrogen offers great opportunities for Africa and at the same time many African countries have enormous potential for the production of this green energy carrier. South Africa and Namibia are two of these countries. Strong partnerships with these countries are therefore the basis for exploiting the potential.

A fruitful collaboration with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and the Southern African Science Service Center for Climate Chance and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) already exists in the "H2 Atlas-Africa" project. The project started in spring 2020 and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The goal of the project is to create an atlas that shows the potential for green hydrogen production in Africa in order to prospectively build infrastructures for green hydrogen production. The H2Atlas-Africa project is the first phase of a Go Green Go Africa hydrogen initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and African partners in the sub-Saharan region.

More information and details about the visit of Dr. Kaufmann and Dr. Röverkamp to South Africa and Namibia are available on the SASSCAL website: https://www.sasscal.org/dr-stefan-kaufmann-mdb-visits-south-africa-and-namibia-forging-green-hydrogen-partnerships/