More than 52 large-scale green hydrogen projects were announced across the African continent, by the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance.
The Alliance is made up of some African countries, including Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa.
The Alliance targets 30 to 60 million tons of green hydrogen production by 2050.
These include the Coega Green Ammonia project in South Africa, the AMAN project in Mauritania and Project Nour in Morocco.
Speaking at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit, on Thursday, held in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa, said “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.”
He also said as demand for green hydrogen grows, so does demand for platinum group metals, sustaining and expanding the continent’s mining and refining industries.
It is estimated that this could create between two and four million new jobs in Alliance member states by 2050.
“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.”