Unlocking Africa’s Hydrogen Future: Highlights from the TEA-LP Green Hydrogen Webinar

Last week, the Transforming Energy Access – Learning Partnership (TEA-LP) hosted a high-energy and insight-packed webinar exploring one of the continent’s most exciting frontiers: green hydrogen. With over 70 minutes of expert presentations, discussion, and Q&A, the session brought clarity to the opportunities, challenges, and emerging pathways that contributing to and shaping Africa’s role in the global hydrogen economy.

The webinar featured three leading voices in the sector:

Ayodeji Stephen – Founder, HydroGEM Energy Advisory

Tumisang Ruda – Electrical Engineer & Energy Policy Specialist, Ministry of Minerals and Energy of Botswana

Katlong Alex – Consultant, African Energy Council

Moderated by Kai Forster, the conversation moved seamlessly from technical foundations to policy frameworks, regional dynamics, financing, and sector-wide strategic planning.

Africa’s Hydrogen Potential is Real, and Rising

Ayodeji opened the session by painting a clear picture: Africa has the solar, wind, land, and hydrological resources to become a green hydrogen powerhouse. Several countries—including Namibia, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, and Mauritania—are already positioning themselves in emerging hydrogen value chains.

Key opportunities highlighted include:

  • Energy security & diversification

  • Industrial decarbonisation for steel, cement, chemicals, and transport

  • Green ammonia for fertilisers, supporting agricultural productivity

  • New export markets, especially in Europe

  • Large-scale job creation—potentially hundreds of thousands of jobs continent-wide

  • Catalytic infrastructure development, including ports, desalination, pipelines, and transmission

Ayodeji stressed that hydrogen is not only an energy vector but also a geopolitical tool—countries that secure hydrogen capabilities will strengthen their influence in global energy markets.

Policy, Regulation & Planning: The Cornerstones of Success

Tumisang’s presentation provided a deep dive into the enabling environment required to make hydrogen viable.

His core message was clear:

Hydrogen does not just need technology, it needs predictable, well-coordinated systems.

Tumisang highlighted the essential components of a strong national hydrogen ecosystem:

1. National Hydrogen Strategies

These must set clear targets, define institutional roles, and signal readiness to investors.

2. Regulatory Clarity

Including:

  • Water use rules
  • Land-use planning
  • Environmental safeguards
  • Safety protocols
  • Grid integration frameworks
  • Certification aligned with international standards

3. One-Stop-Shop Permitting Systems

These accelerate approvals and reduce investor uncertainty.

4. Hydrogen Hubs

Designated zones where infrastructure, talent, and coordination and concentrated – powerful accelerators for market readiness.

5. Investment Instruments

Governments can reduce upfront risks through:

  • Contracts for difference (CFDs)
  • Production incentives
  • Blended finance
  • Public-private partnerships (PPPs)
  • Government-backed procurement or off-take agreements

His “build a house” analogy resonated strongly:

  • Foundation: resource & market mapping

  • Walls: infrastructure & workforce development

  • Roof: policy protection

  • Doors: regional integration & export pathways

Hydrogen Beyond the Colour Labels: A Pragmatic Look

Katlong emphasised a critical point: Africa needs context-specific hydrogen pathways, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

While green hydrogen remains the global aspiration, many African countries with significant natural gas reserves can—and should—leverage blue hydrogen as part of a transitional, economically viable pathway. This reduces upfront cost, avoids water-intensity challenges in arid regions, and builds on existing oil & gas infrastructure.

Key challenges he outlined:

  • High capital costs (electrolysers, water treatment, storage, transport)

  • Insufficient water infrastructure—some regions require desalination

  • Policy misalignment and regulatory gaps

  • Weak investor confidence without long-term off-take agreements

  • Dependence on foreign funding, risking extractive partnerships

Technology gaps needing urgent attention:

  • Electrolyser efficiency

  • Storage and transport innovations

  • Grid-hydrogen integration

  • Local skills & manufacturing capacity

Katlong also highlighted lessons from Namibia’s $10 billion Hyphen project, commending its parallel development of policy frameworks, desalination infrastructure, and local content strategies.

Q&A: Tackling Real-World Questions

During the Q&A segment, speakers addressed key audience concerns:

  • Cost reduction pathways: leverage policy incentives, economies of scale, and transitional hydrogen types; develop local supply chains.
  • Seawater vs freshwater: arid coastal regions must integrate desalination plants into project design.
  • Biomass-based hydrogen: cheaper but less “green”; best used complementarily depending on context.
  • Research gaps: electrolyser technologies, hydrogen storage/transport, industrial applications, integration with power system

🌱 Looking Ahead

All speakers echoed a shared message:
Africa can become a major player in the global hydrogen economy—but success demands alignment across policy, infrastructure, regulation, finance, and skills development.

Hydrogen is not only an export opportunity; it is a pathway to industrial transformation, energy access, and long-term sustainable growth.

With coordinated action, inclusive development, and strategic investment, green hydrogen can help shape a resilient and equitable energy future for the continent.

Written by Kai Forster