African hydrogen quest reaches new frontiers

Djibouti and Mauritania are the latest on the continent to be lined up as potential green hydrogen exporters

Djibouti and Mauritania rarely attract much international investor attention beyond some geopolitical jockeying for position in maritime trade. However, thanks to vast resources of sun, wind and unused land, both are emerging as potential suppliers of green hydrogen to Europe. In early July, Australia’s Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), a subsidiary of miner Fortescue Metals Group, signed a framework deal with Djibouti’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources giving the firm access rights to study the country’s solar, wind and geothermal resources, as well as possible gas storage sites, with a view to hydrogen production. The country’s favourable geographical position—at the southern tip