Growth Lab Development Talk – Green Steel in Namibia: Progress Report Summary

The Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries, regions, states and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy.

Speaker: James Mnyupe, Presidential Economic Advisor and Hydrogen Commissioner, Government of The Republic of Namibia

Moderator: Ketan Ahuja, Growth Lab Research Fellow

About the Talk: James Mnyupe will speak about his work in Namibia setting up an industrial ecosystem around green hydrogen production, and related industries. He will discuss a pilot project involving direct reduced iron production using green hydrogen that is currently being commissioned. The speaker invites attendees to watch this video before the event.

Whether attending in person or online, please register in advance. Room attendance is limited to the Harvard community. Buffet lunch will be served. Seating availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis. The Zoom webinar is open to the public.

About the Speaker: Mr. Mnyupe is a multidisciplinary financial professional with a background in accounting, asset management and wealth management. A graduate of UNAM and Rhodes University, Mr. Mnyupe plied his trade in the private sector for over a decade auditing a wide variety of companies in all three sectors of the Namibian economy and undertook extensive research on listed securities on the local stock exchange. He led one of Namibia’s prominent asset management firms for five years, was the Founding Chair of the Namibia Savings and Investment Association, was appointed to the High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy in 2019 by President Hage Geingob and holds the CA, CFA and CFP designations. Mr Mnyupe possesses a holistic appreciation for how the capital and institutional savings markets intertwine to drive Namibia’s economic and developmental agenda. His involvement in various industry and national bodies have offered him a unique perspective from which to contribute to various dialogues and initiatives that look to deploy said assets across various opportunity sets, locally and regionally more effectively.