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Solar battery storage in Africa is poised for rapid expansion, with capacity projected to grow by more than 20% annually through 2030.

This is according to the 2026 State of Africa’s Infrastructure report by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

The report points to accelerating deployment, falling technology costs and growing investor interest as key drivers of the continent’s emerging storage market.

It also highlights Africa’s potential to become both a major adopter of energy storage and a strategic player in the global battery value chain.

The AFC said battery storage deployment is moving beyond pilot projects into early-stage commercial scaling, supported by improving economics and rising demand for reliable power.

The report said these trends reflect growing investor confidence and improving commercial viability across the sector.

While growth prospects are strong, the AFC noted that deployment remains uneven across the continent, with South Africa dominating the grid-scale battery storage market.

The report noted that early industrial momentum is emerging, with South Africa advancing battery manufacturing initiatives while Nigeria explores similar opportunities.

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has said Nigeria’s domestic solar panel manufacturing capacity has increased to 300 megawatts (MW), up from 120MW two years ago, with a 3.7 gigawatts (GW) project pipeline in development.

Recently, REA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lotus Bank for a N100 billion revolving credit facility to expand renewable energy access to unserved and underserved rural communities across Nigeria.

Also, REA recently signed an agreement with ECOWAS to deploy solar systems to 15 public institutions under the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project.

Nigeria’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme remains a key driver of the country’s renewable energy expansion strategy, with significant private sector participation expected.