The Editor and the Etango Team joins the rest of the nation and the global village in mourning the passing of a true legend – the Founding Father of independent Namibia.
So much has been said about the late Dr Sam Nujoma, but for us at Etango we will remember him for his passion for renewable energy and having fully supported Namibia’s efforts to exploit its abundant solar and wind resources for energy generation.
Dr Nujoma’s visionary leadership and commitment paved the way for the country’s first solar plant, the 4.5MW Omburu solar power station near Omaruru, which he inaugurated himself a decade ago.
The Founding President believed that energy was a basic need and all humans need to have access to all types of energy. He championed the establishment of a more diversified renewable energy policy, one that emphasises solutions that catalyse income generation. Dr Nujoma championed the adoption of electricity tariffs that ensured that the energy provided to citizens was not only ecologically sound but also affordable and easy to access.
“If the current energy situation, of the demand that exceeds the supply and use of fossil fuels and traditional biomass, continues then we will have more problems to solve in future. I encourage our government to invest in alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, and biogas, especially with the aim to use these forms of energy in those parts of our country that cannot be economically connected to the national power grid,” Dr Nujoma said when he inaugurated the Omburu solar plant in May 2015.
We salute the Founding Father for having laid a solid foundation for the development of renewable energy technologies in Namibia, which will also facilitate the emerging Green Hydrogen sector and boost Green Industrialisation.
