Four green hydrogen developments in Egypt, Morocco, Namibia and South Africa have been selected to share $20 million in proposed reimbursable grants from the African Development Bank Group to support investment preparation.

The funding is proposed under the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) and remains subject to approval by the Bank’s Board of Directors. Together, the four projects are estimated to represent $23 billion in investment across hydrogen-based marine and aviation fuels as well as low-carbon iron production.

Egypt’s Project Ra, sponsored by DAI Infrastruktur GmbH, is set to receive $3.55 million. Morocco’s Guelmim Green Hydrogen Valley, sponsored by Nareva Holding, has been allocated $5.28 million, while Namibia’s Hyphen project, sponsored by Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Pty) Ltd, is in line for $5.93 million.

The remaining $5.24 million would go to South Africa’s Saldanha Hydrogen DRI project, developed by Enertrag SE in partnership with ArcelorMittal South Africa, to support preparations for low-carbon iron production.

The projects have a combined proposed capacity of 20 GW of equivalent solar and wind generation, alongside 7 GW of electrolyser capacity and 2,950 MWh of battery storage. The figures indicate the scale of the developments, while the proposed grants are intended specifically to support preparations for investment.

Kevin Kariuki, the Bank Group’s Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth, announced the selected projects at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit 2026 in Cape Town.

The programme’s call for proposals, conducted between 10 April and 11 May 2026, received 81 submissions from 18 African countries.

The Africa Green Hydrogen Programme is designed to support project preparation, improve the attractiveness of developments to private investors and encourage foreign direct investment in hydrogen infrastructure.

Its model links Africa’s substantial solar and wind resources with hydrogen and its derivatives, creating opportunities to store renewable energy while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Daniel Schroth, the Bank Group’s Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, highlighted Africa’s renewable resources as an opportunity for the continent to participate in the emerging global hydrogen market. SEFA financing, he said, is intended to help promising projects progress towards investment readiness.

In Egypt, support for Project Ra will assist preparations to supply green ammonia to European and global markets from the Suez Canal corridor.

DAI Infrastruktur CEO Ioannis Papassavvas described the selection as recognition of several years of work by the project’s team and partners and welcomed continued cooperation with the Bank and SEFA.

For Namibia’s Hyphen project, CEO Marco Raffinetti said the selection demonstrated the project’s quality and maturity. He added that the prospective reimbursable grant would build on the developer’s existing relationship with the African Development Bank.

In South Africa, the developers of the Saldanha Hydrogen DRI project see the development as an opportunity to return a strategic industrial asset to productive use through renewable energy and hydrogen.

Aldrich Louis, Senior Manager at ArcelorMittal South Africa, identified existing infrastructure, strong iron ore resources and renewable energy potential as key foundations for competitive low-carbon iron production.

The project is expected to contribute to lower industrial emissions, greater domestic processing of mineral resources and long-term economic growth.

Enertrag South Africa CEO Enos Banda said the company brings more than 30 years of experience in renewable energy and integrated energy systems to the partnership. He described Saldanha as a potential global benchmark for industrial decarbonisation.

Source: devdiscourse.com