Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, represented South Africa at the 7th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting in Japan on Monday, 15 September 2025, addressing the forum on behalf of Minister Prof Blade Nzimande. The meeting, held under the theme ‘Demand Creation’, ran alongside the Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Fuels and was staged in collaboration with Expo 2025 Osaka.
Gina’s four-day official visit, from 15 to 18 September, formed part of South Africa’s push to position itself as a competitive producer and exporter of green hydrogen. According to SAnews, the engagement aligned with the country’s Just Energy Transition framework, Hydrogen Society Roadmap and Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy.
In her address to the ministerial meeting, Gina said Japan’s ambition to establish a mature hydrogen society by 2030 opened doors for South African industry. 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, according to SAnews.
South Africa is building domestic hydrogen demand through hydrogen valleys and hubs, including the Platinum Valley Initiative stretching from the north of the country to the Port of Richards Bay, according to Gina’s speech published on gov.za. The government has also introduced tax incentives through the Taxation Laws Amendment Act No. 42 of 2024 for the manufacturing of new energy vehicles, including hydrogen-powered vehicles, the speech stated.
From 16 to 18 September, Gina engaged with representatives from the Japanese government, academic institutions and commercial entities including Toyota, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kyoto University and Osaka University, SAnews reported. She also planned to visit Tohoku University to strengthen cooperation in postgraduate training and research mobility, and to meet Prof Hiroshi Okamoto, President of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, and Dr Hitoshi Nakagama, President of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, according to SAnews.
Cooperation between South Africa and Japan already includes the Green Ammonia Synthesis Project, engagement through JETRO and JICA, and partnerships with Japanese universities, SAnews reported. Gina told the sustainable fuels meeting that South Africa aimed to learn from Japan’s advancements in sustainable aviation fuel to reduce the carbon intensity within the aviation sector.
‘The Ministerial Meeting on Sustainable Fuels holds considerable significance for South Africa, as the government aims to expedite the diversification of its energy portfolio to foster sustainable and inclusive growth,’ Gina said, according to SAnews. The meetings also touched on broader green industrialisation with potential job creation in energy-intensive industries.
SAnews, gov.za and ITWeb all confirmed Gina’s attendance at the 7th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting and the broader visit dates. The Platinum Valley Initiative details, the Taxation Laws Amendment Act reference, and the planned meetings with Tohoku University, Prof Okamoto and Dr Nakagama have not been independently corroborated by a second source beyond the original SAnews and gov.za articles.
It remains unclear what concrete investment commitments or memoranda of understanding, if any, emerged from Gina’s bilateral engagements with Japanese firms and institutions. Cape Flats News will check with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation for outcomes of the visit by 25 September 2025.