Africa Market Outlook for Solar PV: 2026-2029

The Africa Market Outlook for Solar PV: 2026–2029 is the Global Solar Council’s flagship annual analysis of solar and storage deployment across the African continent. Building on the latest market data, project tracking, import flows and forward-looking modelling, the report provides an up-to-date picture of how solar markets are scaling, where growth is spreading, and what will determine the pace of future expansion through the end of the decade.

Africa recorded its fastest year of solar growth on record in 2025, with installations rising sharply as both utility-scale and distributed systems expanded. This edition highlights not only the scale of recent deployment, but the structural shifts shaping the market — including rapid growth in rooftop, commercial and captive solar, new investment patterns, and emerging trends in trade and system integration.

  • cover
  • chapter 1
  • chapter 2
  • chapter 3
  • chapter 4
  • chapter 5
  • closing cover

Key Takeaways from the Report

Numbers (2)

Africa just posted its fastest year of solar growth on record

Africa added 54% more solar capacity in 2025 than in 2024, marking the highest annual deployment ever recorded on the continent and confirming that solar growth is accelerating, not plateauing.

2

Solar growth is spreading — not concentrating

In 2025, eight African countries installed over 100 MW of solar, up from just four the year before, while several more markets came close. Solar deployment is no longer confined to a few early leaders — it is broadening across regions.

3

Distributed solar is now a core growth engine

While utility-scale projects still account for the majority of reported installations, nearly half of new capacity (44%) comes from distributed systems — a figure that remains systematically undercounted in official statistics.

4

Two solar transitions are driving growth at the same time

Africa is scaling solar through two parallel pathways:

  • government-led, grid-connected utility-scale projects; and
  • privately financed rooftop, commercial and distributed systems.

Both are growing fast — but under very different financing and policy conditions.

5

Momentum is building for Africa's solar+storage market

The report’s medium-term outlook suggests Africa could install over 33 GW of solar capacity by 2029 — more than six times the capacity added in 2025 — as distributed and utility-scale markets expand in parallel across a growing number of countries.