- Hydrogen Rising
- Posts
- Why African hydrogen struggles to secure offtake
Why African hydrogen struggles to secure offtake
Dear subscriber,
The hydrogen sector was buzzing with excitement two and three years ago. But it is not immune to business cycles. More recently the sector has struggled to maintain the momentum. All the more to look for credible solutions and investigate the concerns.
Mercy Maina-Editor
 | An Egyptian 100 MW green hydrogen project began exporting to Europe and the US last month, becoming one of three African initiatives to reach production. While a milestone, most projects remain stalled, with a recent Energy Industries Council report citing missing offtake agreements as a critical barrier to the continent’s ambitions. |
Offtake agreements commit buyers to purchasing green hydrogen, providing producers with revenue certainty to secure financing and ensure stable returns
Without such agreements, capital-intensive hydrogen projects stall, as investors are unwilling to commit funding without guaranteed buyers, leaving many announced projects on paper.
Our take: The continent must do more to design hydrogen projects with the buyers in mind……..Read more (2 min)
 | South Africa is spearheading recruitment in Africa’s green hydrogen sector this month, offering 26 of the 31 available roles. Opportunities are concentrated in southern and North Africa, the continent’s two leading regions driving the expansion of green hydrogen projects and the emerging clean energy workforce. |
These are mostly renewable roles linked to the green hydrogen sector either by company or the nature of a position.
Norwegian renewable energy company Scatec and South Africa’s sustainable energy firm Pele Energy dominate hiring, each offering ten positions.
Explore the latest openings across Africa’s hydrogen sector here (2 min)
 | Hydrogen Rising has identified 13 industry events across Africa in 2026 that will bring together leaders in green hydrogen. The calendar features expos, conferences, industry weeks, and high-level summits focused on investment opportunities, technological innovation, and policy developments shaping Africa’s emerging hydrogen economy. |
Several events focus exclusively on green hydrogen, while most are broader renewable energy platforms where green hydrogen features as a key theme.
South Africa dominates the 2026 calendar, hosting half of the events, with the remainder held in Kenya, the UAE, Zimbabwe and Morocco.
________//___________
Source: HyIron
Namibia’s HyIron Oshivela, one of three African projects in production
Various
✍️ Help shape discussions on PtX industry by participating in this survey
❓ Germany’s nuclear U-turn raises question for Africa’s energy transition
💰 Rising energy demand exposes $100B annual clean fuels investment gap
💲 AfDB backs Namibia’s green hydrogen dream with $10m loan
💸 Germany's below-market loans to South Africa: A boost for energy transition
🛳️ European nations back push for green hydrogen in shipping and aviation
✅ Egypt grants lands for green hydrogen projects in Red Sea
🏭 Researchers develop solar method to produce low-cost hydrogen from biomass
🧑💼 Green hydrogen expected to generate 15,000 jobs across Namibia and South Africa
Seen on LinkedIn
Riad Meddeb, Director of the Sustainable Energy Hub at UNDP, says, “Green hydrogen is not for everyone. As with other energy solutions, green hydrogen is one tool in the sustainable energy toolkit. Not every country is suited for large-scale hydrogen. Water availability, energy access needs, land use, and national development priorities must guide decisions. National leaders, and energy agencies, need to be supported and empowered to build the renewable energy portfolios that make sense for their local context.”