Solar market set for Africa boom, says report
A report by the research firm Wood Mackenzie projects that Sub-Saharan Africa's off-grid solar market will expand by 450% by 2035, with more than 35% of installations expected in Nigeria. It links the shift away from diesel generators to higher fuel prices following the Iran war, the removal of subsidies in Nigeria and a fall in solar panel prices over recent decades. Kenya and DR Congo are also projected to be major solar hubs, and the report says blended funding models and consistent rural electrification policies are needed to bridge the power gap.
Why it matters: The projected displacement of diesel generation by solar bears on the briefing's energy transition theme, because grid failures, subsidy removal and fuel prices determine how African economies secure power.