Brussels, 15 September 2026
At the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit today in Cape Town, Team Europe launched two new Global Gateway projects in South Africa to leverage investments and strengthen cooperation on green hydrogen, critical raw materials and sustainable industrial value chains. With over €57.8 million, these projects will help South Africa unlock investment and capture more value domestically from its mineral and metal resources, while building solid foundations for a green hydrogen economy.
Both projects are part of the Team Europe Global Gateway Investment Package announced by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in October 2025 to support South Africa’s sustainable future.
Commissioner for international partnerships Jozef Síkela said: “These two Global Gateway projects show how Team Europe, together with South Africa, can create the right conditions for private investors to enter markets with high potential and deliver solutions that boost sustainable development. By mobilising investments in renewable hydrogen, sustainable minerals and metals value chains, it supports the transformation of South Africa’s renewable energy potential into benefits for its companies and people with quality jobs in a competitive and decarbonised industry”.
The first project will support the development of value chains for critical raw materials and batteries, renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, processed metals and minerals in South Africa. This will include easier access to investment for local businesses, support to research and development, and capacity development.
The second project focuses on mobilising investment in South Africa’s green hydrogen sector. It will help turn promising projects into bankable investments and reduce financing barriers. It will also deepen cooperation on the clean energy transition to the benefit of businesses, including local ones.
In practice, Team Europe will support South Africa through a combination of grants, equity and concessional finance, alongside technical assistance and policy cooperation.
The initiatives bring together the European Union, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, and are implemented by Germany’s development agency GIZ and Germany’s development bank KfW, in close partnership with South African public institutions and development finance actors.
Source – EU Commission