Here is Africa’s playbook for hydrogen-ready port infrastructure

From the newsletter

A new World Bank report shows how the Moroccan ports of Tanger Med, Jorf Lasfar, Mohammedia and Tan-Tan could become key hubs for producing, storing and exporting hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia and methanol. These developments offer a blueprint for how strategic African ports can shape the continent’s emerging hydrogen trade.

• Ports are key hydrogen logistical nodes. While hydrogen can be transported through various means, ports stand out as hubs that integrate production, storage, industrial supply and export, offering cost and logistical advantages over pipelines, trucks or cryogenic transport.

• Yet across Africa, insufficient port infrastructure remains a major constraint to scaling hydrogen production and connecting efficiently to global markets.

More details

• The report identifies the four Moroccan ports as complementary hubs with distinct roles. Tanger Med, strategically located on the Strait of Gibraltar, is well positioned to serve vessels transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors, making it a potential green bunkering hub. Jorf Lasfar, which already handles large volumes of ammonia for fertilizer production by the OCP Group, one of the world’s largest phosphate fertilizer producers, offers immediate opportunities for industrial decarbonisation.

• Mohammedia provides cost-efficient large-scale storage through nearby salt caverns, which could reduce Morocco’s Levelized Cost of Hydrogen by 0.16 EUR/kg compared with underground pipe storage. Meanwhile, Tan-Tan, while less developed, offers excellent solar and wind resources and space for hydrogen production, making it ideal for cost-competitive output. If leveraged effectively, the strengths of all four ports could reduce costs, with hydrogen and derivatives produced and exported from Tan-Tan, stored in Mohammedia, distributed to heavy industry in Jorf Lasfar, and bunkered at Tanger Med.

• The implications of Morocco’s multi-port approach extend beyond North Africa. Coastal nations such as Namibia, Egypt and Mauritania possess similar combinations of renewable resources and maritime access. Namibia combines world-class solar and wind resources with Atlantic port access, positioning it to compete on low production costs if renewable build-out and port upgrades advance together. Egypt’s advantage is geographic: control of the Suez Canal corridor enables both hydrogen exports and maritime bunkering, creating dual revenue streams linked to global trade flows. Mauritania offers large-scale greenfield potential, strong solar and wind resources and proximity to Europe, allowing integrated renewable-to-ammonia projects to be designed from the ground up.

• Green hydrogen producing countries in Africa are making gradual progress. In Namibia, the European Union is supporting the expansion of Lüderitz Port, with a service agreement signed with Holland’s Port of Rotterdam to design a multi-user terminal capable of handling the export of green hydrogen and critical minerals. In neighbouring South Africa, Transnet is exploring green shipping corridors linking Saldanha Bay, Cape Town and Durban, with feasibility studies identifying Saldanha Bay as a potential hub for green fuel bunkering and ammonia exports. 

• Further north in Egypt, significant investment is flowing into the Suez Canal Economic Zone, including Ain Sokhna and Alexandria ports, to support green methanol bunkering and hydrogen derivative facilities in partnership with global operators such as Maersk and A.P. Moller. Mauritania is positioning the Port of Nouadhibou as a future export outlet for large-scale hydrogen projects, though major upgrades will be required before ammonia or synthetic fuels can be handled at scale. 

• Beyond individual ports, coordinated green shipping corridors are emerging as a key step in building a competitive African hydrogen export network. A report by the Global Maritime Forum finds that the iron-ore route between Saldanha Bay and the Port of Rotterdam could deploy green ammonia-powered bulk carriers from 2029, with full decarbonisation achievable by 2035. Initially bunkering in Rotterdam, the corridor could eventually shift fuel supply to Saldanha, transforming the port into both a mineral export terminal and a green fuel hub. The model links renewable ammonia production in Southern Africa to a defined maritime trade lane, demonstrating that hydrogen competitiveness will be built corridor by corridor rather than through isolated export terminals.

Our take

• By adopting Morocco’s multi-port strategy, African nations can accelerate green hydrogen deployment while reducing costs and strengthening both domestic and export supply chains.

• However, replicating Morocco’s model requires careful sequencing: map renewable corridors with coastal logistics to locate low-cost production hubs, upgrade an anchor port with hydrogen-ready storage and derivative facilities, integrate domestic industrial off-takers early, and align regulations with key import markets like the EU.

• Besides these, funding is key. Green hydrogen development is highly capital intensive, and port infrastructure, storage facilities, and production hubs require significant investment to become operational and commercially viable.