LITTLETON, Colorado – The African continent is set to emerge as the key driver of global solar energy production for the remainder of the 2020s due to a powerful mix of policy support, rapid economic growth and declining component costs.
Africa is set to install a record 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar power capacity in 2025, a 54% increase from a year earlier, according to the Global Solar Council.
Eight different countries added at least 100 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity last year, double the number of countries over that threshold in 2024 and underscoring the growing appeal of solar systems across the continent.
African countries also rapidly increased their mass imports of battery energy storage systems (BESS) last year to ensure that utilities, homes and businesses have maximum access to solar power even after dark.
Ambitious clean energy policies from South Africa to Egypt are set to promote the widespread deployment of solar and battery systems, setting the stage for Africa to become a key growth region for solar systems in 2030 and beyond.
growth driver
South Africa has the highest total solar capacity in Africa, which is expected to reach just over 10 GW in 2025 after a 1.6 GW increase in capacity.
The country's latest integrated resource plan calls for installing about 10 GW of new solar PV capacity by 2030, as well as 8.5 GW of battery storage and about 5 GW of distributed solar power.
Most of those capacity figures appear achievable at the current installation rates, although grid constraints and blocked investments in the country's over-extended distribution network remain major challenges for power developers.
North African countries, including Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, are among the fastest growing markets for solar capacity outside South Africa, and between them an additional 1.1 GW is projected to be added by 2025.
Some of the world's largest utility-scale solar projects are currently in development to be installed in North Africa, which boasts vast stretches of undeveloped land as well as some of the highest solar radiation levels in the world.
According to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM), Egypt is North Africa's current leader in solar project development, and has approximately 5.5 GW of solar projects under construction and 13 GW in so-called pre-construction.
However, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania have also committed to large solar development pipelines, poised to aid efforts to create a skilled workforce associated with clean energy development and maintenance.
Nigeria was another major solar developer in 2025, installing a record 803 MW, while Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana and Ivory Coast all have record-large solar projects currently under construction.
policy support
Several country-level initiatives linked to increasing demand for renewable energy are helping to further brighten the outlook for solar assets in Africa.
Nigeria – one of Africa's fastest-growing economies – recently approved new net-metering laws that will allow homes and businesses to offset electricity bills with output from rooftop solar installations.
In Kenya, new building codes require space for solar installations, while aluminum mounting systems for solar arrays will be exempted from import duties, sharply increasing their affordability.
Ethiopia has also received funding for a major grid upgrade designed to help renewable energy projects, while Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have implemented new domestic energy market rules, which should boost the economic appeal of solar projects.
potential tracking
Africa's increased appetite for solar components comes just as many major markets in Europe and elsewhere have reached saturation point after several years of rapid expansion.
This bodes well for exporters of solar panels – mainly Chinese companies – who are locked out of the US due to the ongoing trade war and need new growth markets to sell into.
Data from energy think tank Amber shows that in 2025, African countries will buy a record $2 billion worth of China-made solar modules, a 36% increase from a year earlier.
African countries also bought $2.6 billion worth of China-made battery systems, again marking a strong year-on-year increase and helping Chinese vendors expand their reach across the continent.
If selling prices of both solar components and battery systems continue to decline in 2026 and beyond, African consumers will be well placed to take advantage of that greater affordability, especially in areas where tax breaks on imports and favorable pricing on renewable energy have recently become available.
This will in turn help Africa's solar momentum gain further momentum over the rest of the decade, and help the region establish itself as a key energy transition driver by 2030.