When European leaders and African heads of state gathered in Brussels for the second Global Gateway Forum (9-10 October), the event was framed as a new era of “mutual, sustainable and transformative partnerships”.
Yet, Namibia – once Europe’s flagship partner for green hydrogen – was conspicuously absent from the main stage.
While Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zambia and South Africa secured billions in fresh European Union (EU) backed investment packages, Namibia’s representation was limited to a mid-level delegation.
The result: no new funding, no announcements and a fading spotlight on Namibia’s green hydrogen dream.
Global Gateway is the EU’s €300-billion (about N$6 trillion) investment strategy launched in 2021 to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
It aims to build “smart, clean and secure connections” in energy, transport, digital infrastructure, health and education across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
In theory, it promises “mutual benefit”.
In practice, it has been criticised by civil society groups such as Eurodad (2024) and European Centre for Development Policy Management (2025)
as a mechanism for reshaping global supply chains around Europe’s industrial and climate interests, rather than Africa’s development needs.
OUR 2022 MOMENT, AND 2025 SILENCE
In 2022, Namibia signed a landmark EU–Namibia strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials and green hydrogen.
It was hailed as a model of “Africa-Europe cooperation”, and former president Hage Geingob led a high-powered delegation to Brussels.
Since then, however, momentum has faded.
By 2025, Namibia’s total EU-linked commitments under Global Gateway was €552 million (about N$11 billion) – mostly in feasibility studies and pilot projects rather than bankable investments.
Key projects include:
- €50 million (about N$1 billion) for Hyphen and Cleanergy feasibility work;
- €25 million (about N$500 million) for green jobs and technical training via Namibia University of Science and Technology and Namibia Training Authority;
- €7 million (about N$140 million) for Walvis Bay port hydrogen export studies;
- €20 million (about N$400 million) for NamPower grid stabilisation; and
- A €500 (about N$10 billion) million financing window still classified as “pipeline”.
By contrast, Angola secured over €280 million (about N$5.6 billion) in fully approved projects, the DRC over €380 million (about N$7.6 billion), and South Africa a record €4.7 billion (about N$94 billion) package.
WHY WE MISSED OUT
- Institutional Drift and Leadership Vacuum:
Since president Geingob’s death and the transition to president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s administration, the green hydrogen agenda has lacked centralised leadership. - The absence of a new green hydrogen commissioner has stalled intergovernmental coordination and delayed project approvals.
- Failure to Attend at Senior Level:
Allegedly Namibia’s decision not to send a high-level delegation – while peers arrived with presidents and prime ministers – signaled diplomatic disengagement. - Investment decisions at such summits are often political, not purely technical.
- Slow Project Maturation:
Most EU-supported Namibian initiatives remain in feasibility or “study” stages. Without shovel-ready projects, the EU had little incentive to announce new funding in Brussels.
GLOBAL GATEWAY: PROS AND CONS
Despite criticism, Global Gateway offers some real opportunities: access to concessional financing and technical expertise for infrastructure and clean energy.
- Integration into EU value chains for green hydrogen, renewable energy, and critical minerals;
- Technology transfer and training for local capacity development;
- Climate-aligned investments that may strengthen Namibia’s decarbonisation agenda.
Yet beneath the rhetoric of “mutual benefit”, Global Gateway can also entrench dependency and extractive asymmetry:
- Debt Conditionality:
Many “investments” are loans and concessional credits, not grants. This shifts financial risk onto African economies while ensuring European contractors and financiers control implementation. - Control over Strategic Sectors:
- The EU’s focus on raw materials and green hydrogen means Namibia risks becoming a supplier of cheap energy and critical minerals for Europe’s decarbonisation – without meaningful industrialisation or local ownership.
GREEN COLONIALISM
As Rwandan president Paul Kagame reminded delegates, “Cooperation only works when it is built on the right foundation… A good partnership does not create dependency – it creates value.”
Yet, the EU’s insistence on European technical standards, procurement rules and certification systems continues to privilege its companies over African ones.
Civil society organisations, including Eurodad, have warned that the Global Gateway could amount to “green colonialism” – where Africa’s sun, wind, and minerals are used to power Europe’s green transition while African citizens remain energy-poor.
Appointing a new green hydrogen commissioner is now urgent.
The commissioner’s office was designed to coordinate feasibility work, attract financing and negotiate international agreements.
Without it, Namibia’s position in the global energy transition risks being undermined by administrative paralysis and missed diplomatic opportunities.
A new commissioner could:
- Consolidate Namibia’s hydrogen portfolio under one national investment framework;
- Engage directly with the EU, European Investment Bank, and private investors to accelerate project funding;
- Ensure Namibia’s terms of engagement prioritise local value addition, jobs and equity participation.
THE WAY FORWARD
Namibia’s absence from the Global Gateway Forum cost it visibility, credibility and leverage.
In a geopolitical environment where Africa’s green transition is now a global contest for influence, silence equals exclusion.
With a new green hydrogen commissioner, a revived roadmap and political will, Namibia could still reclaim its place at the centre of Europe’s sustainable energy agenda – but only if it insists on partnership over dependency.
Global Gateway exposes the contradictions of Europe’s “green” diplomacy.
On paper, it promises sustainable cooperation.
In reality, it risks perpetuating Africa’s historical role as resource provider, not industrial partner.
For Namibia, the challenge is clear: engage strategically, negotiate assertively and ensure that green hydrogen and raw materials serve Namibian development first, not European decarbonisation.
As Kagame said in Brussels: “A true and lasting partnership must be equal, with shared risk and reward. A good partnership does not create dependency – it creates value.”
- Lot Ndamanomhata is a graduate of public management, journalism and communication. This article is written entirely in his personal capacity.
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