Overview

• Africa imported 15,032 MW of solar panels in the 12 months through June 2025, a 60% year-on-year increase, according to Ember’s analysis of Chinese export data.
• Twenty countries set new import records and 25 imported at least 100 MW, while imports to countries excluding South Africa more than tripled over two years.
• South Africa remained the largest buyer with about a quarter of the total, followed by Nigeria at 1,721 MW and Algeria at 1,199 MW, with Algeria’s purchases up 33-fold.
• If fully installed, recent imports could cover about 61% of Sierra Leone’s 2023 electricity generation and 49% for Chad, with 16 countries reaching at least 5%.
• Experts say nearly all panels come from China and warn that unclear installation tracking persists even as economics strengthen, including diesel-replacement paybacks of roughly six months in Nigeria.