Africa must accelerate participation in green hydrogen value chains, says Dr Gina

The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, says Africa must increase its participation in the green hydrogen value chain over the next three years. Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town on 15th September 2026, the Deputy Minister said Africa's green hydrogen sector was entering a critical new phase, as projects move beyond feasibility studies and planning towards investment, implementation and large-scale deployment. "Every major project should be viewed as an opportunity to develop local supply chains, technology capability, manufacturing and skills," said Dr Gina, during a Ministerial Plenary titled "Powering gigawatt-scale green hydrogen". "From the perspective of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, our focus is to ensure that this growth is accompanied by the development of technology capability, intellectual property, skills and local industrial capacity," she said. South Africa has made significant investments in building these capabilities. Through Hydrogen South Africa, the country has developed expertise across the hydrogen and fuel-cell value chain, including catalysts, fuel cel