KEY POINTS
- Africa recorded its highest-ever solar capacity additions in 2025, with a 54% year-on-year increase, led by South Africa and Nigeria.
- South Africa added 1.6 GW, Nigeria 803 MW and Egypt 500 MW, while distributed solar accounted for nearly 44% of new capacity.
- The Global Solar Council projects Africa could install over 33 GW of solar capacity by 2029, driven by policy reforms, financing innovation and falling costs.
Africa recorded its strongest year of solar energy deployment in 2025, with South Africa and Nigeria emerging as the continent’s top drivers of new capacity, policy reforms and private-sector investment, according to a new report by the Global Solar Council (GSC).
The Africa Market Outlook for Solar PV: 2026–2029, released Tuesday, shows that the continent added 54 per cent more capacity in 2025 than in 2024, the highest annual increase ever recorded. The milestone reflects a growing continental push to expand electricity access, reduce dependence on imported fuels and advance climate and energy-transition commitments.
The GSC said Africa’s market is no longer confined to a small group of early adopters, noting that more countries are now scaling meaningful capacity additions and building long-term pipelines of projects.
South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt Lead New Installations
South Africa retained its position as Africa’s largest market, adding 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in 2025. Nigeria ranked second with 803 megawatts (MW) of additional installations, while Egypt followed closely with 500 MW.
The report noted that eight African countries installed more than 100 MW of solar capacity in 2025, doubling the number recorded the previous year. Several other markets also came close to that threshold, signalling broader geographic diversification of growth.
Nearly 44 per cent of new solar capacity came from distributed energy systems such as rooftop solar, mini-grids, and commercial and industrial installations. The GSC cautioned that official figures may underestimate this segment, as many small-scale systems are not fully captured in national statistics.
The strong showing of distributed highlights the role of off-grid and behind-the-meter solutions in addressing Africa’s persistent power shortages. Mini-grids, household systems and commercial rooftop installations are increasingly being deployed to serve rural communities, small businesses and industrial clusters that lack reliable grid electricity.
The report observed that falling technology costs, faster deployment timelines and flexible financing models are making distributed solar one of the most attractive energy options across the continent.
