Experts Meet in Kenya to Advance Green Hydrogen in Eastern Africa

NAIROBI, Xinhua: Policymakers, energy experts and development partners gathered in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Wednesday to discuss ways of advancing the adoption of green hydrogen as a catalyst for sustainable energy and economic transformation in the Eastern Africa region.

The two-day Eastern Africa Regional Green Hydrogen Symposium brought together more than 200 participants to chart a regional roadmap for building a sustainable green hydrogen economy.

James Opiyo Wandayi, Kenya’s cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum, said the country is committed to utilizing its renewable energy sources to produce hydrogen for use in the chemical industry and the decarbonization of the transportation sector.

“Eastern Africa’s abundant renewable energy resources position it as a key player in the emerging global green hydrogen economy,” Wandayi said, adding that the region has the potential to become both a producer and exporter of green energy and products, while stimulating local industries and job creation.

Desire Kubwimana, Burundi’s principal secretary in the Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy, and Mines, emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration and inclusive policies to accelerate the development of green hydrogen infrastructure.

Mongopasi Sandja Pele, secretary general in the Ministry of Gydraulic Resource and Electricity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Eastern Africa is investing strategically to become a global pioneer in green hydrogen, offering solutions to climate challenges while driving regional industrialization and inclusive economic growth.

International partners also voiced their support for the region’s green hydrogen ambitions. Ondrej Simek, deputy head of the European Union Delegation to Kenya, said green hydrogen development in Eastern Africa represents a pathway to green industrial growth, local fertilizer production for food security, and accelerated renewable energy deployment.