MechChem Africa November-December 2023

Green Hydrogen: a new frontier for Namibia’s workforce

Namibia’s groundbreaking green hydrogen project, a remarkable venture in sub Saharan Africa, presents a transformative opportunity for the country’s workforce. Donné Nieman, sales director for the Western Cape at Workforce Staffing talks about the role a Temporary Employment Services (TES) provider can play in the successful realisation of this project.

The project will produce zero emissions while reducing Namibia’s dependence on fossil fuels, making Namibia a leader in the global transition to a clean energy future. Equipping Namibia with skills for the future The project is likely to take between 10 and 15 years and is expected to create up to 15 000 new jobs during its construction phase and 3 000 permanent jobs during operation. This will be a major boost to the Namibian economy and will provide the backdrop to train and upskill the country’s workforce in green hydrogen technologies. The project will create new jobs in the renewable energy sector, which is a growing field with high demand for skilled workers. There will be a need to train and upskill the Namibian workforce in green hydrogen tech nologies, improving the skills and productiv ity of the workforce, and ultimately making Namibia a more attractive destination for foreign investment. It will also help to diversify the Namibian economy, which is currently heavily reliant on the mining sector, making the economy more resilient to the shocks and fluctuations on the global market. However, the required partnership for this project between the GRN and the private sector to develop Namibia’s green hydrogen industry highlights the need for a comprehensive workforce solution in several ways. Where government bodies lack the experience, many TES providers have over fifty years of experience in how to operationalise and activate projects of this magnitude. They can act as a single-source solution that addresses every component of the human capital, skills and labour re

quirements to take such projects through to commissioning, and onward to operation and maintenance. The entire value chain of employment can be effectively completed through a TES provider who can offer a comprehensive so lution for the project's skills transfer, labour, and HR/IR requirements. They handle vari ous aspects, including recruitment, onboard ing, staffing, payroll, benefits, skills transfer, and labour relations. TES providers recruit and select workers from all over the world with the necessary expertise and experience in renewable energy or hydrogen produc tion. These workers are brought in to fill the immediate need for skills, while performing the much-needed task of internal skills transfer through training and mentorship programmes. This will bring much-needed skills to Namibia, ensuring that locals benefit from job creation in the long term. TES providers also facilitate the onboard ing process for every person involved in the project, by providing training on safety procedures and industry-specific equip ment. This is in addition to managing payroll, ensuring accurate and timely payment to employees while providing benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans, handling labour relations, resolving disputes and negotiating contracts to protect work ers' rights. By offering a one-stop solution for all these services, TES providers can help make the green hydrogen industry more productive. Partnering with a TES provider is the single most effective step the GRN can take to ensure the industry meets its goals and that the benefits of the industry are shared widely across Namibian society. www.workforcestaffing.co.za

T he Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN) is collaborating with the private sector to establish and operate a fully integrated green hy drogen project called HYPHEN Tsau//Khaeb, having set a hydrogen production target of 300 000 tonnes per year. But there arises an urgent requirement for a comprehensive new workforce solu tion. This is precisely where a Temporary Employment Services (TES) provider comes into play, offering a unified solution to address skills transfer, labour, and HR/IR needs, from start to operations. By partnering with a TES provider, Namibia can leverage its expertise, ensur ing streamlined operations and unlocking the full potential of the multibillion-dollar project. This is the largest green hydrogen project in the region, with a total investment of US$10 billion, which is roughly equiva lent to Namibia’s annual GDP, making it a major economic development project for the country. With the project’s goal of producing one million tons per annum of green ammonia annually by 2027, increasing to two million tons by 2029, the impact on Namibia’s econ omy will be significant, and a well-managed and skilled workforce has the potential to catapult Namibia to the forefront of the renewable energy sector while generating invaluable job opportunities and fostering sustainable development. Located in the Tsau//Khaeb National Park, one of the most remote and sparsely populated areas in Namibia, this project will have minimal environmental impact while helping to bring economic development to a region that has traditionally been margin alised. In addition to the economic benefits, the green hydrogen project is also seen as a way for Namibia to achieve its climate goals. Donné Nieman, sales director for the Western Cape at Workforce Staffing.

“The HYPHEN Tsau//Khaeb hydrogen production project will produce zero emissions while reducing Namibia’s dependence on fossil fuels, making Namibia a leader in the global transition to a clean energy future.”

32 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2023