Speech by Acting Premier Tertuis Simmers at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit 2026

• Programme Director,
• His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa,
• Honourable Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy,
• Fellow members of government,
• Esteemed dignitaries,
• Leaders from business and industry,
• Investors, developers, financiers and innovators,
• Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning. Goeiemôre. Molweni.

On behalf of the Western Cape Government and the people of our province, it is my privilege to welcome you to Cape Town and the Western Cape.

We gather at an important moment.

For several years, the global conversation about green hydrogen has centred on potential.
We have spoken about Africa's extraordinary renewable-energy resources, our strategic location, growing global demand for cleaner fuels, and the opportunity presented by green hydrogen.
But the conversation must now move beyond potential.
The question is no longer whether Africa can become a major player in the global green hydrogen economy.
We know that we can.

The question is:
Can we build the infrastructure, institutions and investment environment required to turn that potential into projects?
Because green hydrogen will not be built through strategies and presentations alone.

It requires renewable-energy generation and transmission capacity. It requires water, roads, ports, logistics and industrial capability. It requires technology, skills, finance and capable institutions.
In other words:
The green hydrogen transition is also an infrastructure, investment and economic-development challenge.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Africa represents one of the most significant growth opportunities in the world.

Our population is expected to grow from approximately 1.3 billion people to around 2.4 billion by 2050. Urbanisation is accelerating, economic activity is expanding, and demand for reliable energy will increase substantially.
At the same time, the global economy is undergoing one of the most significant energy transitions in generations.
Africa's opportunity cannot simply be to consume the technologies of that transition.

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