Mariental: Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and the Hardap Regional Council have officially entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting skills development, capacity building, and training for the youth in the Hardap Region, focusing on job opportunities in the burgeoning green hydrogen industry.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the agreement represents a significant step as it is the first collaboration between Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and a regional authority. Speaking at the event, Hardap Region Governor Salomon April highlighted the agreement’s potential to rejuvenate hope among the region’s young populace. He remarked, “This MoU is not just a document; it’s a foundation of reinstating hope in our youth. We, the leaders, are going to make sure that this agreement is implemented and we want to see results.”
Hyphen Hydrogen Head of Environment, Social and Governance, Toni Beukes, shared the company’s motivation for the partnership, emphasizing the need to address the skills gap in the country. “We recognised the existing skills gap across the country – that’s why we are committed in partnering with the Namibian government as it embarks on upskilling the youth through specialised training and capacity building and training initiatives in this new sector and today, our focus is on Hardap Region,” Beukes stated.
Further details of the MoU were outlined by Penda Ithindi, Executive Director of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, who underscored the comprehensive nature of the agreement. “Let’s look at the whole value chain this industry is unlocking. Local economic development is important, it will create jobs, not only direct jobs, but indirect jobs as well to make sure the young people can generate an income. The MoU also looks at how we can enable small, medium and micro enterprises to participate in the value chain in this new industry and we are also glad to bring in skills development to enable the people to be well prepared for this new industry,” he said.
The official signing of the MoU was conducted by Acting Chief Regional Officer Sima Luipert and Beukes, representing Hyphen. This milestone marks a promising future for the Hardap Region and its youth as they prepare to engage with the green hydrogen sector.