Africa is more than twice as sunny as the Netherlands, has 90 times more people, and is nearly 800 times larger. But the continent’s total solar power capacity last year was less than that enjoyed by the Dutch. This year, finally, imports of solar panels into the least electrified and poorest continent are brightening Africa’s energy story.
Outside North Africa, South Africa and a few other wealthier and better-served countries, the electricity grid is minuscule compared to demand. Lack of sufficient, cost-effective, consistent power holds Africa’s human development and economy back. As the climate heats up, the absence of air-conditioning damages people’s health and prevents them from working and learning effectively.
The continent does not lack for energy resources, with major gasfields in the north, west and east, coal in southern Africa, huge hydroelectric potential, strong wind in northern Africa and along the southern coast, and tremendous solar – particularly across the deserts of the Sahara, Namib and Kalahari. Africa could have some of the cheapest electricity in the world.
But investment in power plants and, particularly, grids has been weak. Legacy hydroelectric plants built between the 1950s and 1970s, such as the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, Kariba between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Bamendjing in Cameroon, are not enough to meet demand, and struggle with increasingly unreliable rainfall and river flows.
Solving this problem has been held back by poor policy at home and abroad.
Subsidies to consumers and political and economic turbulence make investment in large power stations and transmission lines a poor prospect, raising the cost of capital. Low population densities make it costly to reach remote areas. In turn, this makes the electricity produced much more expensive than it needs to be, so it is unaffordable for ordinary people, and too expensive to drive industrialisation.
To supplement its inadequate grids, Africa employs about 100 gigawatts of diesel generators, more than two-thirds of them larger units for industries, mines or big commercial establishments. They are expensive, noisy, polluting and prone to breakdown. An unfortunate but necessary stopgap, they are not enough to drive an industrial take-off.
Meanwhile, financing policies from Europe and the big international institutions ban most fossil-fuelled based power – even relatively clean gas that could displace diesel. Excluding carbon fuels is all very well – but the environmental benevolence doesn’t stretch to ensuring renewables are built. Outside the more advanced markets in North and South Africa, the continent’s other 48 countries have only 1 per cent the installed solar capacity of Europe.
This year, something has changed. Climate think tank Ember estimates that Africa’s monthly imports of Chinese solar panels – which represent the vast bulk of global supply – leapt by more than five times from 2022 to this August. That single month saw 1.74 gigawatts arrive. If this rate keeps up through the rest of the year, and if the panels turn into actual installations, the continent’s total solar capacity will double.
China’s massive export capacity, and the stiff tariffs imposed on it by the US, have produced a flood of cheap photovoltaic panels elsewhere. Panel imports by countries such as Algeria, Botswana, Eritrea, Liberia and Sudan have leapt from almost nothing to significant amounts overnight. Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as the continent’s second-biggest importer. The panels shipped over the past 12 months into Sierra Leone will raise the country’s electricity output by more than 60 per cent once installed.
The solar boom has spread beyond the usual suspects to countries that were definitely not in the industry’s address book. Abu Dhabi-based Global South Utilities inaugurated a 50-megawatt plant in Chad last week. Angola wants to build sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest solar farm, at 370MW.
However, such projects aside, the panel imports that have fed this rush seem to be destined more for distributed use, serving a single home, building or community. Outside the trendsetters of Egypt and Morocco, Africa’s biggest existing solar farm is only 175MW, a tenth the size of the Al Dhafra plant in Abu Dhabi.
Numerous African countries are launching smaller projects of a few tens of megawatts each. For example, Zambia’s target of 1000MW of solar power mixes larger and smaller facilities, and 200 solar mini-grids to serve rural areas. The share of Zambians with electricity has risen to 50 per cent, from 30 per cent in 2017, but powering the rest needs local solutions.
Solar does not generate all the time, of course, and is limited in the rainy season of central Africa. Some electricity is better than none, and it can save on diesel during the day. But to be truly a foundation of a modern energy system, solar needs to be combined with batteries, wind, hydroelectric, natural gas and, in countries such as Kenya, geothermal, to provide reliable power year-round.
Some serendipitous combination of Chinese manufacturing, local entrepreneurship, and a melange of financing sources, has lit the fuse on Africa’s solar take-off
Mini-grids are a good start for rural electrification. However, they must eventually be combined into a national grid. Power exchange, as in the 12-country Southern Africa Power Pool, can further balance out seasonal and geographic variations, but needs a massive expansion of grids and trading mechanisms.
Financing African solar power projects is still expensive. While Middle Eastern renewable ventures might be able to raise debt at interest rates of about 4.5 per cent, financiers for Africa may demand around 11 per cent. This pushes up the cost of the delivered electricity substantially. If countries can develop track records of reliable payment, this debt premium should ease.
This solar surge has important implications. It provides an additional outlet for excess Chinese manufacturing capacity. Africa’s solar imports are still small on a global scale but, given its potential and its needs, it could be an almost inexhaustible market. Installation rates will rise further as developers gain confidence and expertise. Some countries that have not yet joined the boom, such as Libya, Cameroon and Gabon, may see the light.
Cheaper and more reliable power could help drive take-off in manufacturing and technology businesses, the crucial drivers of sustainable economic growth. For now, some serendipitous combination of Chinese manufacturing, local entrepreneurship, and a melange of financing sources, has lit the fuse on Africa’s solar take-off.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
if you go
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
Company%20profile
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Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More coverage from the Future Forum
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
