African solar power set for record growth in 2026

Africa’s love for solar power shows no sign of easing up

The continent is on track to install 17 GW of solar in 2026 — up 45% year-on-year, according to new analysis by energy think tank, Ember, in collaboration with African Tech Futures Lab.

It would represent the third consecutive record year for African solar installations, the analysis notes.

Solar growth is also spreading across the continent: 36 of Africa’s 54 countries are expected to install record volumes of solar in 2026.

The analysis also shows that 19 countries have seen year-on-year growth of over 100%, including 544% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 282% in Zimbabwe and 176% in Egypt.

South Africa, once responsible for over half of the continent’s solar imports, will account for less than a fifth of installations in 2026 as growth spreads to new markets.

Key findings

The new solar installed in 2026 alone is expected to generate around 23 TWh a year, enough to meet Africa’s average annual electricity demand growth over the past decade.

In more than half of Africa’s 54 countries, the rise in solar generation is expected to exceed the historic pace of demand growth.

Ten countries, home to a combined 190 million people, will see 2026’s new solar add more than 10% to annual electricity generation: Sierra Leone (97%), Togo (24%), Somalia (21%), Djibouti (21%), DRC (14%), Comoros (14%), Namibia (12%), Liberia (12%), Chad (11%) and Lesotho (10%).

Africa’s solar panel manufacturing is also set to quadruple in 2026, reaching around 3.5 GW as new plants come online in Egypt and Tanzania.

However, most of this output is destined for export to the US — 94% of the panels installed across Africa are still imported from China.

Data challenges

Despite the challenges of collecting data on the growth of solar power across the continent, there is little doubt that the trajectory is upwards.

Only three African countries – South Africa, Tunisia and Tanzania – currently publish solar capacity data every quarter or more frequently.

The analysis finds official reporting on national solar capacity for just 36 of Africa’s 54 countries, and only 14 of those had 2025 data, even that likely undercounting real installations.

However, that is starting to change: at least 15 African countries now have solar registration and permitting systems at an advanced stage, with several already in force, a step Ember and African Tech Futures Lab say is essential if planners, grid operators and regulators are to see the market they are trying to manage.

An estimated three-quarters of the solar capacity added across Africa between 2023 and 2025 was distributed solar — a category largely missing from official national and international statistics.

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