Solar and Renewables
Top stories
Zambia has hit 1,027MW of installed solar capacity, surpassing its 2026 target, as total generation rises to 4,722MW and the government eyes 10,000MW by 2031.
Eskom has launched a tender for co-investors in up to 6GW of renewables and storage, the first phase of its new Eskom Green subsidiary targeting 32GW by 2040.
Côte d’Ivoire shortlists developers for two 100MW solar plants with 33MWh battery storage each, targeting 45% renewables by 2030 from a base of just 40MW installed solar.
Africa50 has secured $71 million from the World Bank Group, Nigeria’s NSIA, and the International Solar Alliance for a DRE fund targeting $200 million at final close.
Nigeria’s electricity problem is really a small business problem. Around 90m Nigerians lack reliable power, and a solar provider is betting that financing tailors, salons and welders, not just households, is the fastest way to solve it.
Nigeria is launching an asset managing firm for its solar projects this August. The goal is to fix maintenance gaps and unlock long-term financing for renewable energy projects.
Kenya generates 93% of its electricity from renewables, yet businesses pay up to six times more than African peers. The problem isn’t how power is made, but how it reaches consumers.
The World Bank has unlocked $200 million for Nigeria’s DARES off-grid programme after NERC raised mini-grid capacity ceilings — but 11 million connections remain to be delivered by December 2028.
Zambia’s 312MW Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative gives local councils equity stakes in 156 solar plants, creating community revenue streams outside ZESCO’s balance sheet.
Why the next generation of African infrastructure will be built by people who have lived the problem
Africa undoubtedly needs more infrastructure. But it also needs infrastructure that reflects lived experience. The next generation of transformative businesses will not emerge because they imported solutions that worked elsewhere.
Egypt’s EETC has signed a 407 MW wind PPA with UAE-based Alcazar Energy to repower Zafarana, where ~700 turbines have reached end of life. Commercial operations are targeted for 2028.
The NSIA has built a platform to bundle small distributed renewable projects into institutional deals, targeting a $410bn energy transition capital gap by 2060.
Total clean cooking commitments for Africa surpass $3.1 billion after $900 million in new pledges, as the IEA launches a fuel security programme and formalises the Clean Cooking Alliance.
Ghana is aggregating industrial electricity demand to give solar developers guaranteed buyers before construction begins — a de-risking model now entering its first 100MW phase.
WeLight, a developer and operator of solar-powered mini-grids, plans to invest $650 million to expand electricity access across Africa, with Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo receiving the bulk of the funding.
Liberia secures $57m under the RESPITE programme to expand Mount Coffee Solar Park from 20 MW to 30 MW and deploy battery storage, backed by a $125m World Bank package.
Egypt awards a $560 million EPC contract for the 1GW West Minya Solar Power Project to a Hassan Allam and Sterling and Wilson joint venture, backed by the EBRD and EU financing.
Norwegian developer Scatec plans to invest an additional $5bn in Egypt over two years, doubling its portfolio with solar, wind, storage, and data center projects.
Botswana’s 100MW Tati Solar Project has secured $100 million in financing, with commercial operations targeted for 2027 and power sales planned into the Southern African Power Pool.
China has long dominated the global supply of solar panels, inverters, and other key renewable energy components, including in African markets. However, a growing push for local manufacturing across the continent could begin to reshape that landscape.
