Salomon April calls for global green partnerships in China address

Salomon April, member of the National Assembly, at the Legislators Forum for Friendly Exchanges – Session on Ecological Environment Protection and Green Development, Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China, 10–17 September 2025

It is with great humility and honour that I deliver this address on behalf of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia.

Allow me to begin by extending warm fraternal greetings from the Namibian people, and to thank the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for hosting this timely and strategic forum under the theme ‘Building Global Partnerships for the Joint Advancement of Common and Sustainable Development’.

This gathering reminds us that our shared responsibility to protect the planet transcends politics, geography, and ideology. As legislators, we are uniquely positioned to drive the legislative, policy, and budgetary frameworks necessary to transition our economies toward inclusive, green, and sustainable futures.

Namibia, a vast and beautiful country in southern Africa, knows well the cost of climate inaction. We are a semi-arid nation vulnerable to drought, desertification, and water scarcity. Yet, we are also a nation of resilience, innovation, and bold environmental vision.

In March 2025, Namibia ushered in a new era of leadership with the historic inauguration of our first woman president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – a moment of great national pride and a powerful symbol of inclusion and progress. She has placed climate action, youth empowerment, and green industrialisation at the core of our national development agenda.

Namibia’s constitution, adopted in 1990, was the first in Africa to explicitly mandate environmental protection. We have since evolved into a country taking decisive steps to lead Africa’s green transition.

Allow me to share some of our key green initiatives and breakthroughs as of 2025:

• Green hydrogen and synthetic fuels: Namibia is spearheading five major green hydrogen projects, including Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and HyIron, positioning our country as a global hub for renewable energy exports, industrial decarbonisation, and job creation. Final investment decisions for these projects are expected to be concluded by the end of 2025, with long-term impacts across Africa and Europe.
  
• Global African Hydrogen Summit: Hosted in Windhoek this September, this gathering brings global investors, lawmakers, and technical experts to chart a continental pathway for hydrogen-based growth aligned with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Paris Agreement.
  
• Renewable power infrastructure:
  
  • The Cerim Lüdertz Wind Farm (50MW) and the Otjikoto Solar Power Station (10MW) will be operational in 2025, boosting our energy independence.
    
  • The Erongo Battery Energy Storage System (58MW/72 MWh), the first of its kind in Namibia, will stabilise our grid and expand our renewable energy capacity.
    
• Water security through desalination: Recognising the increasing water demands from climate and green industrialisation, Namibia commenced construction of a second national desalination plant in 2025. With a projected capacity of 20 million cubic metres per year, this facility will secure supply for domestic, agricultural, and industrial needs.
  

These projects are not abstract plans – they are happening. And they are supported by clear legislative mandates, enabling regulations, and partnerships with the private sector, international development agencies, and research institutions.

Namibia is proud to collaborate with China and other countries represented here today. We have much to learn from China’s advancements in ecological civilisation, desert reclamation, solar technologies, and sustainable urban development.

But above all, we believe that environmental justice must be people-centred. We are committed to ensuring that the green transition leaves no one behind – especially rural communities, women, youth, and informal sector workers.

Colleagues, let us use this forum not just as a platform for dialogue, but as a springboard for joint action. Let us forge legislative solidarity across continents, ideologies, and economies for the sake of our common future.

Together we can legislate for life.
Together we can green our economies and heal our planet.
Together we can build the world we owe to future generations.

I thank you.

Shéshé.

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