Director and advisor Mohamadu Saido Balde from Guinea-Bissau

Mohamadu Saido Balde from Guinea-Bissau has successfully completed the International Master Program in Energy and Green Hydrogen (IMP-EGH). The 31-year-old studied in Aachen und Niamey in Niger. Read about his experiences during the program sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) in cooperation with The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

© Mohamadu Saido Balde
© Djassi Fotografo

You graduated in October 2023 - what and for whom are you currently working?

My current position is Director of Strategic Planning, Studies, and International Relation at the Ministry of Energy of Guinea-Bissau and Sustainable Energy, climate and agribusiness Consultant at BASE, a Swiss foundation and Specialized Partner of United Nations Environment.

Please describe in 5 sentences what your Master thesis was about.

My thesis explored Africa's potential in the green hydrogen market, highlighting its vast production capacity of 900 million tonnes per annum. Despite a current hydrogen demand of 3 million tonnes (at the time of my thesis, 2023), mainly for fertilizer production using fossil fuels and emitting 630 million tonnes of CO2, Africa has a strategic opportunity. Projections show demand could reach 20 million tonnes by 2050, yet only six countries currently have green hydrogen roadmaps. I found that over 90 percent of African green hydrogen projects are export-oriented, missing domestic decarbonization opportunities in sectors like transport, agriculture and power generation. I recommended establishing sustainable policies, regulatory frameworks , capacity building and technology transfer, building strategic partnerships, and fostering regional market integration to unlock Africa's green hydrogen potential, particularly in West Africa.

In your opinion, what is the most important use of green hydrogen?

In my opinion, in the African context, the most important use of green hydrogen will be in decarbonizing the fertilizer industry, as it currently relies heavily on fossil fuels, but as well for being a strategic pillar for African economy and essential for food production and sovereignty. Also, for Africa being a hub of renewable energy resources and its vast arable land for green farming.

What was your most memorable experience during the "International Master Program in Energy and Green Hydrogen"?

Navigating Differences through inter-culturality. Different people, countries and cultures helped me and shaped my skills set being able to working in different environments.

What advice would you give to a future student of the Master's program?

  1. Invest your time and your energy in building your qualifications and professional skills *Personal development* and share it with your peers for them to realize and recognize your potential.
  2. Be open to everyone and build a relationship and embrace diversity, this family is your best resource for many opportunities to come that you cannot see today.
  3. Make your presence valuable and worthy, so that when you leave people misses you.
  4. Again, leverage Networking Opportunities and develop a critical thinking mind-set. Accept challenges, see opportunities and learn to build up from every falls. Most importantly be grateful for every moment, opportunity and challenges that you encounter.

Bonus question: Is there anything else you want to share (like a nice anecdote, how you overcame bad experiences, etc.)

During my first year of the master degree in Niger, I faced challenges in adapting the new educational and leadership system, particularly the weekly modules and exams. There were times when I felt overwhelmed, struggling to understand the why. It looked like I was coming from a different world. There was need to maintain a high standard of work. To overcome this, I decided to accept the realities, embrace the opportunities and adopt new strategy and time management system, as well as setting realistic daily goals.

This experience taught me resilience, focus, the value of effective planning, and the power of collaboration, skills that have been invaluable in my subsequent academic and professional endeavours.

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