AFSIA’s Africa Solar Outlook 2026 reveals Africa’s solar capacity is nearly triple estimates, driven by record growth and storage adoption.
January 21, 2026. By EI News Network
The African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has launched the Africa Solar Outlook 2026, revealing that solar power deployment across Africa has been significantly underestimated and positioning the continent as the world’s fastest-growing solar market.
The flagship annual report combines verified, project-level data with international solar trade statistics for the first time. This integrated methodology shows that while 23.4 GWp of operational solar capacity has been formally documented across Africa, export data indicates that around 63.9 GWp of solar capacity has been shipped to,and likely installed on,the continent.
“This perception of Africa as a marginal solar market no longer reflects reality,” said John van Zuylen, CEO of AFSIA. “Solar is already far more widespread than previously believed, and Africa is now experiencing the fastest solar growth of any region worldwide,” he added.
According to the report, Africa’s share of global solar capacity rises from below 1 percent to approximately 2.5–3 percent, significantly elevating the continent’s role in the global solar market.
In 2025, Africa recorded the highest year-on-year solar growth rate globally, outpacing all regions in relative terms and ranking among the top three fastest-growing solar markets since the COVID-19 period.
A defining theme of the report is the rapid expansion of battery energy storage systems (BESS). Falling costs have made solar-plus-storage increasingly competitive, with fully dispatchable solar power now achievable at approximately USD 76/MWh, often cheaper than new fossil fuel-based generation.
Solar-plus-storage systems are now supporting industrial baseload demand, utility-scale projects, and commercial and industrial users, where they are already cost-competitive with grid electricity and significantly cheaper than diesel generation.
The report also highlights strong relative performance by countries such as South Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Namibia, and Cape Verde in solar capacity per capita, while nations including Chad, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, and Botswana showed the fastest year-on-year improvements.
Covering all 54 African countries, the Africa Solar Outlook 2026 provides detailed insights into installed capacity, policy frameworks, electricity tariffs, and future solar opportunities, serving as a key reference for governments, investors, and energy stakeholders.