Namibia’s missed chance at Global Gateway forum
Namibia failed to secure new funding at the European Union’s Global Gateway Forum held on October 9 and 10 in Brussels, sending only mid-level representatives while regional competitors Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and South Africa obtained billions in approved investment packages. The country’s total commitments under the EU initiative remained at approximately 552 million euros, primarily allocated to feasibility studies rather than concrete projects, contrasting sharply with South Africa’s record 4.7 billion euro agreement.
Analysts attributed the setback to institutional drift following former President Hage Geingob’s death, the absence of a dedicated green hydrogen commissioner and Namibia’s decision not to dispatch senior leadership to the summit. Most EU-supported Namibian ventures remain in preliminary assessment phases without shovel-ready status.
Critics, including civil society organizations, have warned that Global Gateway risks perpetuating resource extraction patterns despite rhetoric about mutual partnerships, with European technical standards and procurement requirements favoring continental firms over African enterprises in strategic sectors like renewable energy and critical minerals.
