Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?

African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent

By James Dinneen

26 August 2025

Solar panels for sale in Niamey, Niger, a country where solar energy is booming

BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images

A record surge of solar panels flowing from China to countries in Africa over the past year is a sign the continent is seeing a rapid build-out of renewable energy. That could help expand access to cheap, clean electricity and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Read more

Extreme heat is now making cities unlivable. How can we survive it?

“This isn’t a massive explosion yet in itself,” says Dave Jones at Ember, an energy think tank in the UK. “It’s the start of the takeoff.”

Advertisement

Jones and his colleagues analysed data on Chinese solar panel exports since 2017. There is some solar panel manufacturing capacity in Africa – but as with most of the world, Chinese imports make up nearly all of the continent’s supply.

Between June 2024 and 2025, the researchers found exports to Africa surged 60 per cent compared to the previous year, amounting to just over 15 gigawatts of power capacity imported over that period.

Unlike an earlier surge in 2022 and 2023 that was driven mostly by imports to South Africa, this upward trend was spread across the continent – with 20 countries seeing import records and 25 countries importing more than 100 megawatts worth of panels. “It’s not being led by one or two countries,” says Jones. “To me, that’s the most incredible part of the story.”