National strategies are multiplying across Africa. This short guide outlines the questions that separate paper ambition from projects that can actually raise finance and deliver local benefits.
Across Africa, green hydrogen is moving from conference panels into cabinet papers. That is welcome. The harder task is turning a roadmap into a sequence of decisions that unlock land, water, power, offtake, skills, and capital.
Before a strategy is finalised—or refreshed—decision-makers should be able to answer five questions clearly.
## 1. Who is the first customer?
Export offtake can anchor early plants, but a credible strategy also names domestic or regional demand: fertiliser, refining, mining trucks, industrial heat, or power balancing. If the first customer is unclear, timelines slip and communities lose patience.
## 2. Where will the electrons and water come from?
Hydrogen projects compete for renewable power and freshwater (or desalination). Strategies that ignore grid constraints, water basins, and environmental permitting create political risk later. Map resources honestly—and publish the trade-offs.
## 3. What rules make investment predictable?
Developers need clarity on licensing, tariffs, foreign exchange, carbon accounting, and safety standards. Ambiguity is expensive. A short, enforceable regulatory package often matters more than a long vision chapter.
## 4. How will African firms and workers participate?
Local content, SME supply chains, and vocational pathways should be designed early—not bolted on after final investment decision. Agenda 2063 is not only about megawatts; it is about productive capacity.
## 5. How will communities stay informed and protected?
Transparent engagement, grievance mechanisms, and benefit-sharing plans reduce conflict. They also reassure lenders. Treat social performance as infrastructure for the project itself.
GHNA supports governments and partners to stress-test strategies against these questions—through dialogue, technical exchange, and practical learning across African contexts.
