Africa could install 23 GW of additional solar by 2028, which would more than double its current capacity, according to the findings of a report from the Global Solar Council (GSC).
The council’s latest report, Africa Market Outlook for Solar PV 2025-2028, adds that solar installations across the continent are expected to increase 42% year-on-year in 2025 after experiencing a slowdown in 2024.
Africa added 2.4 GW of solar last year, according to figures from the council, compared to over 3 GW the year prior. The report attributes the slowdown in deployment to a return to normal installation rates in South Africa following a boom in 2023, as well delayed project development, particularly in North Africa.
While acknowledging that Africa’s 2024 solar additions were dominated by two countries – South Africa and Egypt, which together accounted for three quarters of new solar installations last year – the report also adds that several emerging markets made “serious steps forward in their solar deployment, strengthening the overall health of the continent’s solar prospects”.
Solar deployment in West Africa grew rapidly last year, led by Ghana, which nearly quadrupled its solar capacity by adding 94 MW, followed by Burkina Faso (87 MW) and Nigeria (73 MW). Meanwhile, Zambia doubled its solar capacity last year, adding 69 MW, and Angola, the Ivory Coast and Gambia all entered the top ten African countries for new solar installations for the first time.
