In 2025, the African continent installed 4.5 gigawatts of new solar capacity — a 54% increase in one year, far outpacing global growth of 23%. Africa has established itself as the global epicentre of the solar transition.
4.5 GW in one year: a continental record
The continent's total solar capacity now stands at 23.4 gigawatts operational at end-2025, on a projected path toward 31.5 GW by 2029. Leading the way, South Africa installed 1.6 GW in 2025 alone, ahead of Nigeria (803 MW), Egypt (500 MW), Algeria (400 MW) and Morocco (204 MW). These five countries account for the vast majority of new capacity.
Africa's 54% growth compared to the global 23% illustrates a structural phenomenon: while developed nations add solar as a substitute for existing sources, Africa is building electricity capacity where none existed before, meeting long-unserved demand.
China's ambivalent role
The deployment relies heavily on panels manufactured in China, whose prices have fallen by more than 80% over ten years. Chinese firms play simultaneous roles as suppliers, investors and builders across the continent. This supply chain concentration remains a vulnerability that African energy strategists are beginning to address in their industrial roadmaps.
Why it matters
For the Indian Ocean, Africa's solar boom creates a double opportunity: the region's islands — Réunion, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros — can draw on continental experience to accelerate their own energy transitions, while local solar installation and maintenance firms have a rapidly expanding continental market at their doorstep. Solar is no longer an alternative: it is becoming the foundation of African electrification.
Source: Africa News Agency / RTS / Ilboursa — 2026