Input needed for decarbonisation money
Feedback from the public and Namibian industries involved in decarbonising the economy will be welcomed throughout the rest of this week, Jonas Musheko, spokesman for the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme, confirmed on Monday.
Public consultations on Namibia’s draft Sectoral Transformation Investment Plan (s-TIP), developed under the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Industry Decarbonisation Programme, were officially launched in Windhoek last week.
At the launch, Sylvester Mbangu, acting executive director of the National Planning Commission (NPC), said the consultation process was an opportunity to test whether the draft plan was sufficiently clear, practical, inclusive and financeable to represent Namibia before the CIF Trust Fund Committee at the end of September.
“The opportunity before us is significant. Namibia is preparing an investment plan that could position the country to access up to US$250 million in concessional CIF capital,” Mbangu said.
He said the funding could help reduce investment risks and attract additional financing from multilateral development banks, development partners and the private sector.
“The value of the process is therefore not limited to the CIF allocation itself. Its wider purpose is to build a credible national platform through which Namibia can mobilise investment for green industrialisation at scale,” he said.
‘More than a list’
Mbangu said the draft s-TIP should be more than a list of projects and should demonstrate how a coordinated package of interventions could address shared constraints and strengthen Namibia’s industrial ecosystem.
“It must show how Namibia will convert its renewable-resource advantage into bankable industries, enabling infrastructure, competitive local value chains, skilled employment and measurable benefits for communities,” he said.
The plan is built around four main pillars: green industrial projects; strategic enabling infrastructure; local enterprises and value chains; and cross-cutting technical assistance.
Members of the public and interested stakeholders can review the draft s-TIP and submit comments through the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme website.
Mbangu called for input from industry, financiers, regional and local authorities, state-owned enterprises, organised labour, training institutions, young people, women, civil society and communities that could host or be affected by future investments.
“We therefore invite inputs that are specific, evidence-based and solution-oriented,” he said.
Identify the gaps
He said stakeholders could help identify gaps, strengthen implementation proposals, and clarify how the plan's benefits could reach the wider economy. Areas of particular interest include infrastructure, project bankability, local content, supplier development, skills, jobs, community participation, environmental safeguards and private capital mobilisation.
Mbangu said the process was achievable, pointing to Brazil and Mexico, which he said had recently become the first developing countries to have their CIF Industry Decarbonisation investment plans endorsed.
According to Mbangu, both countries' plans are supported by US$250 million in catalytic CIF financing and are expected to help mobilise nearly US$5 billion in additional co-financing.
