Germany has partnered the private sector in Nigeria to drive the implementation of green hydrogen to combat climate change and achieve sustainable economic growth.

Speaking at a Business Roundtable tagged ‘Enabling Green Hydrogen Pilot Projects through Partnerships’ held in Lagos, yesterday, the Advisor, International Hydrogen Ramp Up Programme, Ofonama Archibong, said green hydrogen holds significant potential for application in hard-to-abate industrial sectors and energy, transport and exports among other applications.

For Nigeria, he said, the green hydrogen market is still in its very early stages and requires several support instruments to enable and activate the market.

Archibong said against this backdrop, the International Hydrogen Ramp-Up Program (H2Uppp) funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and implemented by GIZ in partnership with the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) supports the market ramp up for green hydrogen and power-to-X (PIX) technologies and products in Nigeria in cooperation with the private sector.

He said the objective is achieved through the implementation of early-stage market development activities to kickstart and ramp up the market and increase knowledge.

The Chief Executive Officer, Geogrid Energy, Dayo Shobitan, said green hydrogen will almost certainly play a significant part in the future energy system.

He said Nigeria has favourable conditions for the generation of green hydrogen, wherein production prices might not exceed £3.5/Kg until 2030, which can compete favourably with the leading international competitors.

Shobitan said while the scalability of volumes and costs for green hydrogen is anticipated to be lower in the long run, Nigeria should take advantage of its advantages in the manufacturing of green hydrogen using renewable energy sources for the export market.

The Chief Technical Officer, Dunatos Technology Limited, Muideen Oladapo, said the advancements in renewable energy technology have paved the way for the development of a cutting-edge hybrid system.

He said the deployment of this hybrid renewable energy system has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future for generations to come.

On the economic benefit, Oladapo said embracing renewable energy will enable communities to create job opportunities, stimulate local economies, reduce energy costs and enhance energy security for a more prosperous and sustainable society.

He noted that the development of this innovative renewable energy system requires collaboration between government institutions, private entities and local stakeholders to achieve the vision of a greener and more sustainable future.