Nigeria is the biggest off-grid solar energy kit market in West Africa, accounting for 88 per cent of all sales made in the region, a new report has shown.

In its Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales & Impact Data which covers the period between July-December 2023, GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry, stated that “Nigeria is by far the largest appliance market in West Africa and strong growth in the country hides more nuanced trends in other markets in the region.”

The report is based on sales reported by 32 solar energy kit manufacturers and 34 appliance manufacturers in the second half of 2023.

According to the report, Kenya was East Africa’s largest market for off-grid solar energy kits, representing 74 per cent of the total sales made in the region.

A key insight from the report is the growing number of lantern sales across the four regions of Africa — East, West, Central and Southern Africa.

In East Africa, where more than 2.5 million solar energy kits were sold between July and December 2023, lantern sales increased by 17 per cent compared to the first half.

In Kenya, for instance, a rise in lantern sales sold in cash led to a 22 per cent increment in cash sales for all kits and appliances in the country compared to those made in the first half of the year. Comparatively, there was a 5 per cent increase in sales made via the PAYGo option.

Lanterns with low energy needs, ranging between 0-1.5 Wp (watt peak capacity), witnessed the highest growth rate in sales.

A similar rising trend in the number of sales for low-energy lanterns was also recorded in West Africa, where sales for this category increased 18 per cent compared to the first half of 2023.

Just like in East Africa, sales made by cash steadily continued, with their increasing trend rising by 15 per cent for all solar energy kits. The PAYGo segment, on the other hand, decreased by 1 per cent.