Solar installations jumped 54% in one year on the African continent. This spectacular growth could provide hundreds of millions of people with access to electricity. But financial and political obstacles still slow down the massive deployment of photovoltaics.
Africa is experiencing an unprecedented acceleration in the field of solar energy. According to a report from Global Solar Council published at the beginning of February, the number of photovoltaic installations increased by 54% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
This progression occurs in a context where nearly 600 million people live without access to electricity. Rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa are particularly affected.
Four countries in the lead, others follow
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Growth is mainly concentrated in four countries. South Africa (1.6 GW) comes in well ahead, followed by Nigeria (803 MW), Egypt (500 MW) and Algeria (400 MW). These four nations account for three quarters of the new installations.
Other countries with more modest economies are also embarking on the solar adventure. Morocco, Zambia, Tunisia, Botswana and Ghana are developing their capacities. Cameroon aims to increase its solar production capacity eightfold by 2030, from 30.6 MW to 250 MW.
“We are forced to import equipment from Europe or China. The government has helped us by easing customs procedures
“In Cameroon, our energy is not necessarily very stable. What we are proposing is to compensate for this lack of energy,” explains Adrien Désiré Sibé à Dong, project manager at African Solar Generation, a Cameroonian and Swiss company, in the show Tout un monde.
The Cameroonian government supports this dynamic. “We are forced to import equipment from Europe or China. The government has helped us by easing customs procedures,” explains Adrien Désiré Sibé to Dong.
Solutions adapted to all needs
Solar energy powers different types of customers. In Cameroon, businesses, administrations, farms, schools and museums are equipping themselves. In the continent’s strongest economies, solar serves larger populations.
“There are national electricity companies which build solar power plants. There are also independent producers like us who sell their production to these companies. And then there are purely private projects,” explains Gilles Parmentier, founder of Africa Ren, contacted in Mombasa, Kenya.
In Nigeria, private consumption dominates. Industrialists and individuals install solar panels for their own use.
For isolated areas, modular solutions are being developed. “Solar power makes it possible to go from very small installations for homes in rural areas, to very large solar fields which power high voltage lines,” underlines Gilles Parmentier.
Huge potential, still limited reality
Africa brings together all the assets for solar energy. Abundant sunshine, large unusable spaces for agriculture, and energy cheaper than diesel, coal or gas.
However, solar power today only covers 3% of the continent’s total energy mix.
Storage is the first difficulty. However, progress in batteries makes it possible to gradually compensate for production limited to hours of sunshine.
The cost of capital for investing in Africa remains three or four times higher than in Europe
The political and economic instability of certain African countries represents a major obstacle. “These are projects that are amortized over 20 to 25 years. When we sell electricity to the national company, we take the risk on a single state customer, over very long periods,” explains Gilles Parmentier.
This risk is reflected in the cost of financing. “The cost of capital for investing in Africa remains three or four times higher than in Europe,” explains Patrice Geoffron, professor of economics at Paris-Dauphine University.
A paradox emerges. Solar energy is the cheapest technology to produce, but the most expensive to finance in Africa.
China, accelerator of the solar revolution
The collapse in the price of Chinese solar panels is a game-changer. African businesses and families are scrambling for them, reveals the New York Times.
“The sometimes poorly regulated development of different technologies in China leads to considerable overcapacity from which Africa is benefiting,” analyzes Patrice Geoffron. He evokes “a sort of photovoltaic diplomacy which is emerging”.
China combines its economic presence in Africa with the export of its solar panels. Partnerships which allow it, for example, to access mining and agricultural resources at preferential rates.
>> Also read: “China becomes an economic enemy of the oil-exporting powers”
Cédric Guigon
