Namibia hosts latest regional Green Investment Dialogue

Members of Parliament, policy makers and energy leaders from six African countries are meeting in Namibia, 10–13 July for the final regional Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue. It is a high-level forum focused on accelerating climate finance through Green Energy Zones and Corridors. The event is part of the Parliamentarians for Climate Finance project, delivered by Climate Parliament and UNIDO, with support from the Green Climate Fund.

Delegations from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have travelled to Walvis Bay for three days of workshops, site visits and national strategy sessions. As Namibia has emerged as a leader in green hydrogen development, part of the programme will include visits two landmark projects:

• Cleanergy Solutions Namibia, the country’s first hydrogen refuelling station

• HyIron Oshivela, the first industrial scale zero-emissions iron production facility powered by green hydrogen

These projects highlight the potential for renewable powered industry and serve as an example of what targeted investment and forward-looking energy planning, policy and regulation can deliver.

Green hydrogen plays a central role in this vision as an enabler of low carbon exports, industrial decarbonisation and regional energy cooperation. “What Namibia is demonstrating is that green hydrogen and clean industry are not far off concepts, they're real, investable and scalable now”, said Dr Sergio Missana Secretary General of the Climate Parliament.

Zones and Corridors: An economic opportunity

Over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still live without reliable electricity. At the same time, global investment in renewables has surpassed $1.7 trillion annually, with Africa needing an estimated $402 billion per year by 2030 to meet its sustainable development goals.

Green Energy Zones and Corridors offer a strategic response. They are defined areas that concentrate clean energy infrastructure, manufacturing and distribution. They can unlock new investment, reduce risk for developers and support the transition from fossil fuels without requiring extensive legislative reform.

Sessions at the Namibia dialogue include:

• How to de-risk clean energy projects using blended finance

• County and national planning tools to support project pipelines

• Community-led energy initiatives and clean transport

• The role of hydrogen corridors in linking local projects to regional markets

  
  

Why Parliamentarians matter

The dialogue highlights the role of parliamentarians in shaping policy, approving budgets and removing barriers to investment. With climate financing tools evolving rapidly, MPs have a critical opportunity to connect global resources with local needs.

Parliamentarians are central to making clean energy investment viable:

• Approved national budgets and legislative frameworks

• Influence investment priorities

• Provide democratic oversight of energy transitions

• Represent communities at the front lines of energy poverty and climate vulnerability

• Bridge the gap between high-level goals and practical action

“Elected legislators are uniquely positioned to align public interest with public or private investment,” said Dr Missana. “They can help turn national targets into credible pipelines of bankable projects and ensure those projects deliver real benefits to the people they represent.”

In Namibia their leadership is helping shape a legislative and financial road map to scale up renewable energy, develop clean industry and position the region as a competitive player in the emerging hydrogen economy.

The dialogue will conclude with national breakout sessions where MPs will outline concrete next steps from policy reform and public private partnerships to project development and cross-border coordination.