EU institutions and some member states have committed almost €58m to supporting South Africa’s green hydrogen industry and strengthening minerals, metals, and battery value chains.

The resulting projects fall under the umbrella of the EU’s Global Gateway overseas investment strategy, the goal of which is to mobilise private investment in partner countries in areas such as clean energy. Announced in 2025, the strategy is aimed at least partly at securing sustainable supply chains for Europe.

Two projects, the Trilateral Partnership for Green Hydrogen, and the €37.3m Promoting Value Chains for Critical Raw Materials and Green Hydrogen and Derivatives in South Africa, will be implemented by German development bank KfW together with the Development Bank of Southern Africa and other public and private sector stakeholders.

According to a 2026 fact sheet published by German development agency GIZ and reported by Hydrogen Insight, South Africa’s “significant reserves of platinum group metals [platinum and iridium are required in PEM electrolysers] and manganese [an important lithium-ion-battery component]… “create a solid foundation for South Africa to become a competitive producer of GH₂ [green hydrogen] and PtX products”.