The Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance (AGHA)

Realising Africa’s green hydrogen potential through government leadership

Major energy transition pathways identify green hydrogen as the most credible solution available today for decarbonising heavy industry and transport sectors.

Six leading African countries, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa, have formed the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance to intensify collaboration and supercharge development of green hydrogen projects on the African continent. They were recently joined by five other countries with ambitions to become green hydrogen leaders in the region: Algeria, Angola, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Nigeria. Tunisia is also considering membership of AGHA.   

The Alliance aims to intensify collaboration and supercharge development of green hydrogen projects to make the African continent a frontrunner in the race to develop green hydrogen. It is a platform for government collaboration with the private sector, development finance institutions and civil society.

Alliance members collaborate on public and regulatory policy, financing, capacity building and certification, bringing together a network of experts and partners who can support and finance green hydrogen project development. 

“With its huge renewable energy resource wealth and land space, Africa has a chance to become a frontrunner in this burgeoning green hydrogen industry, creating zero-emission jobs, domestic energy supplies and export revenues fit for a decarbonised future. But to get there, we need radical collaboration across the governments, the private sector and civil society to set the right policy and investment frameworks, and we need to secure long-term offtake agreements. The Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance will go a long way in fostering these developments.”

_{Nigel Topping and Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin,
UN Climate Change High-Level Champions}

Delivering Africa’s Green Hydrogen Potential

Alliance countries’ green hydrogen potential 

With global demand for hydrogen projected to rise sevenfold by 2050, green hydrogen is an opportunity for the Alliance countries to sustainably industrialise, boost GDP and create jobs. Keeping in mind that the hydrogen industry is quickly evolving, analysis realised in 2022 had estimated that the Alliance’s addressable market for green hydrogen could reach 30 to 60 Mt of hydrogen equivalent by 2050. Delivering on this market could add between $66 billion and $126 billion to the GDP of the Alliance member countries by 2050, which is equivalent to 6% to 12% of their current GDP. This could further create 2 to 4 million jobs by 2050 in the Alliance member countries.  

Delivering on Alliance countries’ green hydrogen potential 

Grasping the opportunities posed by a new African green hydrogen industry will require a concerted effort from diverse stakeholders. These include government ministries, project developers and financiers, financial institutions, civil society and academic institutions. 

Visionary private sector partners and other international collaborators can offer expertise, capacity and access to capital. At the same time, they can work with host governments and local institutions to strengthen permitting processes and project structures that deliver on national priorities for sustainable development and economic growth. 

While it is important to move fast, it is equally important that African countries and project developers sign durable contracts creating conditions for long-term stable investments. Transparency and stakeholder engagement needs will be essential to build broader trust and capabilities required for rapid, large-scale industry development. 

Alliance’s activities 

To unlock the full socio-economic potential of green hydrogen across Africa, the Alliance aims to establish structured regional and in-country programmes that: 

• Develop clear and stable fiscal frameworks to attract investment and ensure long-term benefits for host governments. 

• Support financial modelling tools to guide decision-making on green hydrogen incentives and revenue strategies. 

• Facilitate early offtake agreements and market access to strengthen Africa’s global competitiveness. 

• Ensure local economic benefits by integrating green hydrogen into national and regional economic strategies. 

The Alliance also convenes high-level meetings to promote knowledge sharing and regional collaboration, alongside new knowledge products to guide policy and investment. AGHA aims to ensure a united voice on green hydrogen by its members at other global forums such as the COP Climate Conferences, International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE), Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and Mission Innovation Ministerials. 

The International Green Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, “the Cairo Centre” 

The International Centre of Excellence on Green Hydrogen, "the Cairo Centre” is a collaboration between the Nile University and the Green Hydrogen Organisation (GH2) with close involvement of the Egyptian government through three nominated board members. It was launched during the Egypt-EU Investment Forum on 30 June 2024 and is a key enabler for developing nations.  

The Cairo Centre serves as the Secretariat to the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance, in coordination with other stakeholders, including the UNFCCC High-Level Champions, AfDB, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Leveraging both the strengths of the Cairo Centre and the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance is key to facilitating collaboration in Africa and establishing a conducive environment for a sustainable green hydrogen economy.  

Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance Governance Structure  

The Ministerial Steering Committee of the Alliance is led by:  

• The Steering Committee Chair, Hon. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, South Africa   

• H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Egypt 

• H.E. Opiyo Wandayi, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Kenya 

• H.E. Mohamed Ould Khaled, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mauritania 

• Her Excellency Dr. Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Morocco 

• Hon. João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water, Angola 

• Hon. Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Djibouti 

• H.E. Dr. Ing. Habtamu Itefa, Minister of Water and Energy (MOWE), Ethiopia 

• Hon. Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy, Namibia 

• Hon. Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment, Nigeria 

More from us 
 

Our colleague Cynthia Kariuki from the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance Coordination Office, together with James Mnyupe, Presidential Economic Advisor & Head of the Namibian Green Hydrogen Program, wrote an op-ed ahead of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s meeting in April 2025 which will decide whether to introduce a carbon levy and fuel standard for shipping, which currently contributes 3% to global emissions. In this piece, they argue that the IMO’s levy must be high enough to incentivise the uptake of green fuels made in AGHA countries, not include a credit trading component and crucially provide funding to lower income African countries for their own just and equitable energy transition.