Africa recorded its strongest 12 months for photo voltaic vitality progress in 2025, with South Africa and Nigeria rising because the main contributors to new capability, coverage progress, and private-sector funding.
That is in keeping with the Africa Market Outlook for Photo voltaic PV: 2026–2029 report launched on Tuesday by the World Photo voltaic Council (GSC).
The surge displays a broader continental shift towards renewable vitality, as governments work to shut electrical energy entry gaps, cut back reliance on gas imports, and meet local weather targets.
GSC famous that the continent added 54 per cent extra photo voltaic capability in 2025 than in 2024, marking the best annual deployment ever achieved.
The report underscores that photo voltaic growth in Africa is accelerating, not slowing, as extra international locations increase investments to fulfill rising vitality demand.
What the report is saying
The report highlights how photo voltaic adoption is spreading past a handful of early leaders, with a number of international locations scaling vital capability additions in 2025.
“In 2025, eight African international locations put in over 100 megawatts (MW) of photo voltaic capability, up from simply 4 the 12 months earlier than, whereas a number of extra markets got here shut,” the World Photo voltaic Council acknowledged.
South Africa led the continent, including 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of recent photo voltaic capability.
Nigeria adopted with 803 MW, whereas Egypt added 500 MW of recent installations.
Almost 44 per cent of the brand new capability got here from distributed techniques, together with rooftop photo voltaic, mini-grids, and industrial and industrial installations, although official figures might undercount these contributions.
Extra Insights
The report predicts that Africa’s photo voltaic market will proceed to develop at a sturdy tempo over the following few years.
By 2029, the continent may set up greater than 33 GW of photo voltaic capability—over six instances the 2025 whole.
Continued coverage reforms, improved grid infrastructure, revolutionary financing mechanisms, and declining know-how prices will likely be vital to sustaining momentum.
The growth of each utility-scale and distributed photo voltaic markets is anticipated to speed up throughout an growing variety of African international locations.
The mixture of plentiful daylight and rising vitality demand positions solar energy as a key driver of Africa’s vitality transition and financial growth.
Rise up to hurry
Nigeria is rising as a significant photo voltaic market, supported by each coverage reforms and rising private-sector funding:
In 2024, Nigeria added 63.5 MW of recent photo voltaic capability, bringing whole put in capability to 385.7 MW, pushed by each private and non-private sector participation.
These developments reveal the accelerating adoption of solar energy throughout Nigeria and the broader African continent.
What it’s best to know
South Africa and Nigeria are main Africa’s photo voltaic surge, positioning the continent to capitalize on plentiful daylight, declining know-how prices, and supportive coverage frameworks.
- Photo voltaic vitality is now central to Africa’s plans for financial progress, vitality safety, and increasing entry to dependable electrical energy.
- BusinessTimes reviews that senior photo voltaic business executives and unbiased vitality analysts are coming into 2026 with sharply divergent expectations for the sector.
These outlooks replicate rising uncertainty pushed by coverage shifts, altering financing circumstances, provide chain dynamics, and uneven demand throughout each world and rising markets.
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