Letter on hydrogen: Out of Africa

Continent’s governments must seize the green hydrogen opportunity by refining policies and ramping up the development of supply chains and infrastructure

The early hype around green hydrogen included predictions that it could help to redraw the global energy map by transforming renewables-rich countries into major exporters of molecules. Those expectations have now been scaled back in line with global market projections. Expectations that green hydrogen could meet 10–15% of global energy demand by 2050 look increasingly fanciful given the industry’s challenges in scaling up and the continued reluctance of potential consumers. However, green hydrogen still offers significant potential for new green molecule exporters, not least in Africa. The IEA has previously highlighted Africa’s potential to be a green hydrogen powerhouse, able to undercut