Why a Regional Centre of Excellence on Green Hydrogen?
The COMESA region possesses abundant renewable energy resources, growing industrial demand, and strategic trade positioning. However, hydrogen market development is constrained by structural institutional gaps rather than resource limitations.
The COMESA Centre of Excellence on Green Hydrogen, hosted by the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa within the framework of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is designed to address these systemic constraints through coordinated regional intervention.
Core Structural Constraints
Regulatory Fragmentation
Hydrogen intersects electricity, water, transport, ports, safety, and environmental regulation. Divergent national approaches create uncertainty in:
- Production licensing
• Grid integration
• Storage and transport standards
• Cross border trade
• Carbon accounting
Large scale hydrogen infrastructure requires long term regulatory predictability. Regional harmonization under RAERESA reduces transaction costs and strengthens investor confidence.
Absence of Certification Architecture
Global hydrogen trade increasingly depends on verifiable carbon intensity measurement and traceability systems.
Without a regional Guarantees of Origin framework:
- Export access is constrained
• Compliance with carbon border measures is uncertain
• Market credibility is weakened
A harmonized certification system is therefore a prerequisite for participation in emerging international hydrogen markets.
Limited Technical and Research Capacity
Hydrogen technologies require localized validation under regional climatic and grid conditions. The absence of coordinated testing facilities, safety standards, and applied research increases technology risk and reliance on external expertise.
A regional platform consolidates technical validation and supports technology adaptation.
Weak Project Preparation Pipelines
Hydrogen projects are capital intensive and technically complex. Many initiatives lack structured feasibility studies, environmental assessments, financial modelling, and risk allocation frameworks.
Without systematic project preparation support, access to development finance and private capital remains constrained.
Capacity Gaps
Hydrogen deployment requires specialized expertise in electrolysis, safety engineering, carbon accounting, and energy regulation. Strengthening regulatory and technical capacity across Member States is essential for safe and scalable market development.
Why a Regional Approach
Hydrogen value chains are inherently transnational. Production zones, industrial users, storage facilities, and export infrastructure frequently span multiple jurisdictions.
A national approach risks:
- Technical incompatibility
• Certification fragmentation
• Infrastructure misalignment
• Reduced economies of scale
A regional Centre enables standardized regulation, interoperable infrastructure planning, and aggregated market demand, improving competitiveness and bankability.
Institutional Role of RAERESA
Hosting the Centre within the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa ensures that hydrogen governance is integrated within existing regional energy regulation frameworks.
RAERESA provides:
- Direct coordination with national energy regulators
• Experience in cross border electricity market harmonization
• Established regulatory dialogue mechanisms
• Institutional credibility for investors and development partners
This institutional anchoring reduces fragmentation and aligns hydrogen deployment with regional power system planning and market integration objectives.
Strategic Imperative
The global hydrogen economy is consolidating rapidly. Regions that establish regulatory clarity, certification credibility, and bankable project pipelines will secure long term market positioning.
The Centre provides the coordinated regulatory, technical, and investment framework required for COMESA to participate competitively in the emerging global hydrogen economy.
