South Africa takes a major energy bet to Japan this week
PRETORIA — South Africa is taking its green hydrogen ambitions to Japan this week as government looks beyond research and policy towards the investment, technology and export markets needed to turn the country into a serious player in the emerging global hydrogen economy.
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Nomalungelo Gina will represent South Africa at the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting in Japan on Thursday, where discussions are expected to focus on the development of international hydrogen markets, technology and cooperation.
The visit matters because South Africa has spent years building the policy and research foundations for a hydrogen industry, but the bigger challenge is converting those advantages into commercially viable projects, local manufacturing, jobs and exports. Cabinet approved the Hydrogen Society Roadmap in 2021 and the Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy for implementation in 2023, with government explicitly seeking to establish the country as a major producer and exporter of green hydrogen.
Japan could become particularly important to that ambition. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation says Gina’s visit is intended to deepen cooperation between the two countries while opening opportunities for Japanese investment, expertise and access to future hydrogen markets.
“Japan’s ambition to establish a mature hydrogen society by 2030, supported by substantial investments in hydrogen production, transportation, storage and utilisation technologies, presents significant opportunities for South Africa to leverage Japanese expertise, investment and market access,” Gina said.
That relationship sits within a much larger economic link between the countries. During a South Africa Japan Business Forum in 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa said more than 270 Japanese companies had a presence in South Africa and sustained more than 200,000 local jobs. He specifically invited further Japanese investment in renewable energy and green hydrogen, describing South Africa as one of the world’s most cost competitive potential hydrogen producers.
The attraction is not simply hydrogen itself. South Africa has significant solar and wind resources, an established industrial base and large reserves of platinum group metals that are important to some hydrogen technologies. Government’s strategy is therefore increasingly focused on ensuring that the country does not simply produce hydrogen for foreign markets, but develops manufacturing, skills, intellectual property and businesses around the wider value chain.
That localisation question has become more prominent in 2026. In February, government launched the R100 million Wits South Africa Hydrogen Localisation Initiative, backed by Air Liquide South Africa, Wits University and the Localisation Support Fund. The programme is intended to help South African companies participate in hydrogen manufacturing and build domestic capabilities rather than leaving the country dependent on imported technology.
The Presidency has argued that green hydrogen could eventually support industries ranging from mining, steel and cement to chemicals, heavy transport and agriculture. The Wits initiative is expected to include a modular pilot hydrogen plant and provide a platform for research, training and commercial testing, with government targeting a broader ecosystem of locally manufactured hydrogen components by 2028.
Gina’s trip therefore comes at a point where South Africa needs international partnerships that bring more than diplomatic agreements. Government wants capital, technology transfer, research cooperation and ultimately customers for hydrogen and its derivatives if the sector is to develop at the scale envisaged in national strategies.
South Africa and Japan already cooperate in hydrogen research and technology development, including through the Green Ammonia Synthesis Project and engagements involving the Japan External Trade Organization and Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as Japanese universities and research institutions.
Gina is expected to use the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial to position South Africa as a preferred green hydrogen partner and pursue further investment into the country’s emerging industry.
She will participate in ministerial roundtables, bilateral meetings and the H2 and FC EXPO, while her programme will also extend beyond energy investment. A visit to Tohoku University is expected to advance postgraduate training, research mobility and a proposed South Africa Japan doctoral programme.
Gina is also scheduled to meet Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan president Professor Hiroshi Okamoto to discuss cooperation on energy policy, hydrogen technology and the clean energy transition, as well as Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development president Dr Hitoshi Nakagama on health research and innovation.
For South Africa, however, the economic test will be whether international engagements of this kind begin moving the country’s hydrogen plans from strategies, research programmes and pilot facilities towards projects capable of attracting investment and producing commercially at scale. Government has made green hydrogen part of its wider investment and industrialisation strategy, but building a globally competitive industry will depend on whether South Africa can capture enough of the technology, manufacturing and export value chain at home.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za.