The China shock comes to Africa

Africa's largest economies are accelerating plans to build domestic solar manufacturing capacity. Ethiopia, South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria are stepping up efforts to localize manufacturing of solar power equipment, from module assembly to more advanced manufacturing.

The shift reflects both industrial ambition and growing unease over dependence on imports from China, which dominates the global market. According to the think tank ODI Global, Chinese renewable energy investment and related construction projects in Africa reached $66 billion between 2010 and 2024.

Subsidized Chinese imports are threatening African manufacturing growth. The US is being urged to support the African Continental Free Trade Area and expand private capital investment through the International Development Finance Corporation. China is likely to retain its dominant global role in making solar cells and other components, with its exports of such equipment soaring partly due to a glut in supply back home.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Associated Press — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.