German utility RWE has withdrawn from its agreement to purchase ammonia from Hyphen Hydrogen Energy’s planned project in Namibia, which is located on ancestral Nama land inside Tsau ||Khaeb National Park.

The decision follows pressure from the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA) and several international human rights organisations, who argued that the development risks repeating historic patterns of land dispossession and exclusion of Indigenous communities.

Hyphen’s proposed project covers a 4,000km² concession and would establish large-scale ammonia production facilities for export to Europe. The site overlaps with land once seized by German colonisers during the period when the Nama people were subjected to genocide and displacement.

RWE had signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyphen in 2022 to secure ammonia supplies, but the company has now withdrawn from the arrangement. The move has been welcomed by NTLA as a step toward ensuring that indigenous rights, including Self-determination and Free, Prior and Informed Consent, are respected in future developments.