Namibia has been pursuing developments in green hydrogen energy, capitalizing on the country's natural conditions to bring prosperity to its people and build a more sustainable world, said Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba.
Speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Mbumba said the country's prospects for hydrogen energy have gained worldwide recognition, all built on a vision proposed by the country's former leader, Hage Geingob, who passed away in February this year. "Our late president (Hage Geingob) used to say that three or four years ago, we never even knew the word 'hydrogen,' but he picked it up. He got in touch with people who have the knowledge and understanding of it, he studied it and he marketed it to all of us. Namibia was identified not only by us, [but also] by experts throughout the world that we have a unique possibility to develop it," he said.
According to the Namibian president, not only will Namibia's hydrogen exports bring greener energy solutions to countries around the world, but the program itself will be built up using non-fossil fuel energy sources.
"We have the desert, I have described it already. We have the harbor. We have the wind. We have one of the driest places in the world. The sun is [shining] almost 365 days a year. And we identified a number of companies to be our partners. The big program is to produce the green hydrogen using solar power and wind power. Having enough space to develop it, developing the harbor in Luderitz, as well as in Walvis Bay to make sure that big ships will come, collect the green ammonia, green hydrogen, take it to Europe, use it for their industries, whether it's from trains to ships, to motor cars, to buses, to everything. That's what the big idea is, and we are very, very serious. We are training our young people to win bachelor's, and master's degrees, and PhD in that direction. And so far, we have been successful," he said.
Namibia has unique possibility to develop hydrogen energy: president
Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba expressed agreement with China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, calling on the world to leave behind inequality and the domination of one country over others.
In September, Mbumba visited Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years, with the highest rate of attendance by foreign leaders. The summit ran from Sept 4 to 6 with the goal of deepening ties and outlining future cooperation between China and Africa.
So many African leaders attended the event because they understand the global trend of development and the importance of multilateralism, said the president in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) that aired Friday.
"Development will take place. But the question is, is this development for the welfare of the people and the benefit of the world, or is [it] for selfish ends? And that is what we have to avoid. We have to work together, cooperate together and build a shared prosperity for all people, for all nations," he said.
In Mbumba's view, the greatest hindrance to the realization of an equal and just world is a global power structure dependent on the exploitation of developing countries.
"I think the inequality of the past, the domination of other countries and other people of the past, we should leave that behind and truly and honestly work together to develop. We don't need to be engaged in funny politics of destroying one another or robbing one another's minerals or countries, but to cooperate together and benefit all of us," said Mbumba.
"For some people to think that they are the only one, their country is the only one that matters, and the lives of their people is the only thing that matters, other people, you can get rid of them [and] it is not important. It is very, very important that humanity accepts that we are one, that we better learn how to cooperate, how to work together," he said.
The Namibian president pointed to China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative as viable alternatives to existing hegemonic paradigms.
"I think it is very, very important that through the initiative like that by honest people representing strong, honest principles, they are worthy of pursuing, they are worthy of respecting. And we should work, all of us, work together, to make humanity at this level of development, all the world, to live in peace, to be able to live the lives our grandparents or great-great grandparents could not have imagined," Mbumba said.
Namibia stands in agreement with China's vision for shared prosperity: president
