Africa’s solar panel imports rise 60% to 15 GW in 2025

Solar panel imports into Africa grew by 60 percent in the year to June 2025, reaching 15,032 MW compared to 9,379 MW in the previous year, according to energy think tank Ember.

The increase was recorded across the continent, with 20 countries reporting new highs in imports. South Africa remained the largest importer, while Nigeria moved into second place with 1,721 MW, surpassing Egypt. Algeria followed with 1,199 MW. Algeria’s imports rose 33 times year-on-year, while Zambia’s were eight times higher.

Despite record inflows, the extent of actual installations is not clear. Ember noted that if fully installed, Sierra Leone’s latest imports could cover 61 percent of its 2023 electricity generation, while Chad’s could provide 49 percent.

The report pointed to the economic impact of solar, estimating that savings from lower diesel consumption could offset the cost of solar panels in Nigeria within six months. It also noted that in nine of the top ten importing countries, the value of refined petroleum imports was 30 to 107 times greater than that of solar panels.

Ember chief analyst Dave Jones said the growth marks a pivotal moment for Africa’s energy transition and called for stronger data collection and analysis to track the impact of solar deployment.