Solar power companies are rapidly expanding across Central and West Africa, bringing electricity to some of the region’s poorest households, where governments have long struggled with inadequate infrastructure and the growing impacts of climate change.
These often locally-owned companies operate in areas where the majority of people are disconnected from the electricity grid. They offer a range of products, from affordable solar-powered lamps that enable children to study at night to advanced home systems that can run kitchen appliances and entertainment setups. Prices vary from under $20 for basic solar lamps to thousands of dollars for full home solar systems.
The region faces some of the lowest electrification rates in the world. According to the World Bank, 220 million people in West Africa lack access to electricity, with electrification rates in some areas as low as 8%. Many households rely on expensive and dangerous fuels like kerosene, which pose health risks and fire hazards.
At the recent United Nations climate summit, global leaders set a target to triple renewable energy generation capacity by 2050. Although Africa contributes minimally to global carbon emissions, solar power is emerging as a cost-effective solution to the continent’s energy challenges.
A report from the International Energy Agency earlier this year highlighted the rapid progress made by small and medium-sized solar companies in reaching African homes. However, the report emphasized that significantly more investment is needed to ensure universal access to electricity by 2030.
Currently, around 600 million Africans, out of a population of more than 1.3 billion, lack access to electricity.
Among the companies recognized in the Financial Times’ 2023 ranking of Africa’s fastest-growing companies is Easy Solar, a Sierra Leone-based firm that also operates in Liberia. The ranking was based on compound annual revenue growth. Co-founder Nthabiseng Mosia, who grew up in Ghana, became passionate about addressing Africa’s energy issues while studying in the United States. She and a classmate launched Easy Solar in 2016, targeting areas with some of the lowest electrification rates in West Africa.
“There wasn’t really anybody doing solar at scale. So we saw it as a great opportunity,” Mosia said.
Since its inception, Easy Solar has provided solar power to over a million people across Sierra Leone and Liberia, which together have a population of over 14 million. The company has established a network of agents and shops in all of Sierra Leone’s 16 districts and seven of Liberia’s nine counties, bringing stable power to many communities for the first time.
“We aim to reach the most remote areas,” Mosia explained. As villagers saw their neighbors’ homes lit up at night, more families adopted the technology.
“We’ve long forgotten about kerosene,” said Haroun Patrick Samai, a land surveyor in Songo. “Before Easy Solar, we lived in constant fear of fires from candles and kerosene.”
Another fast-growing solar company is Altech, based in Congo. With less than 20% of Congo’s population having access to electricity, Altech co-founders Washikala Malango and Iongwa Mashangao launched their company in 2013. Both grew up in a Tanzanian refugee camp after fleeing conflict in Congo’s South Kivu province, where they relied on kerosene lamps to study at night.
Altech now operates in 23 of Congo’s 26 provinces and plans to expand nationwide by the end of the year. The company has sold over 1 million solar-powered products, ranging from lighting to home systems and generators.
“For many of our customers, this is their first connection to a power source,” Malango said.
With repayment rates exceeding 90%, Malango credits a system that remotely shuts off power to appliances if payments are not made, ensuring financial stability for the company.
Solar energy is not only providing clean, reliable power to millions of homes across Africa but also transforming lives in areas that have long been left in the dark.
