China driving Africa's switch to solar: Report

Africa is emerging as the world's fastest-growing solar market, with China playing a critical role in the process, according to a new report by the African Solar Industry Association, or AFSIA.

The Africa Solar Outlook 2026 reveals that by the end of 2025, while 23.4 gigawatts peak of operational solar capacity has been officially identified across the continent, export data indicate that approximately 63.9 GWp of solar capacity has been shipped to Africa.

GWp is the amount of solar energy that can be generated under the optimal conditions.

These findings suggest solar energy may be nearly three times more prevalent on the continent than previously estimated.

As a result, Africa's share of global solar capacity rises from below 1 percent to around 2.5 to 3 percent, positioning the continent as a far more significant contributor to the global solar market than earlier assessments suggested.

The report found that China accounts for a majority of global solar module exports. This dataset provides a rough estimate for the capacity that may yet be formally documented.

John van Zuylen, chief executive officer of AFSIA, said China has played a critical role in advancing Africa's solar market by consistently pushing technological improvements while making solar solutions affordable.

"This is really what is driving the markets and expanding access to electricity for more and more people in Africa," he said, noting that many Chinese companies are actively developing solar projects across the continent.

Van Zuylen added that countries and companies worldwide purchase Chinese solar products because they are efficient, affordable and available across a wide spectrum — ranging from lower-cost, lower-quality products to high-end premium solutions.

He said Chinese firms have also started manufacturing solar products within Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia. Nigeria's solar market, he added, is booming and could surpass other African markets in the near future.

"This is mostly because the local demand is now growing significantly high and it is a large market that makes commercial sense to actually establish and build a factory for local markets," he said.

Van Zuylen said 32 African countries can now produce more than 10 percent of their electricity from solar energy. "This is an amazing situation, which is not comparable to anywhere else in the world," he said.

Among these countries, he said, 13 countries already generate more than 10 percent of all their electricity from solar power — a share that rises further when imported panels from China are factored in. This pushes countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, and Comoros into the continent's top solar producers by share.

Increasing capacity

By the end of 2025, AFSIA had documented more than 42,000 solar projects across Africa, representing 296 GWp of cumulative capacity, with 23.4 GWp operational — a 26 percent increase in operating capacity compared to the year before.

Beyond absolute capacity figures, the report highlights Africa's exceptional growth trajectory. In 2025, Africa recorded a high year-on-year growth rate, alongside China and the Middle East, and outpaced both in relative terms. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa has ranked among the world's three fastest-growing solar regions.

This momentum has begun attracting attention from international manufacturers, developers, and investors, several of whom have established production and assembly facilities on the continent.

The report also notes the rapid expansion of battery energy storage systems. Falling costs and technological advances are enabling solar power to move beyond intermittency and provide dispatchable, round-the-clock electricity. In many African countries, especially those that rely on imported fuels, the cost of 24-hour solar electricity is already cheaper than fossil fuel generation.

Across Africa, solar-plus-storage projects are now operating in applications previously considered unviable, including industrial baseload supply and utility-scale installations. For commercial and industrial consumers, solar has become cost-competitive with grid electricity and significantly cheaper than diesel generation, even before accounting for the economic impact of grid outages.

"Solar with storage is no longer a future concept," added Van Zuylen. "It is already one of the most competitive and reliable power solutions available to African economies today."

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn