China-Africa renewable energy cooperation projects have reached a combined installed capacity of over 17 gigawatts between 2023 and 2026, according to a report unveiled Wednesday at the third China-Africa Energy Cooperation Project Promotion Conference in Hunan. The figure underpins Africa’s energy supply and the security of local power systems, Xinhua reported.
The China-Africa Renewable Energy Cooperation Report 2026, released November 5, counts major hydropower, wind and photovoltaic projects launched under the two sides’ cooperation, alongside livelihood projects in rural areas that are bridging the last-mile gap in electricity access, said Yi Yuechun, president of the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute. Innovative projects including energy storage systems have also been implemented, he added, supporting technology roadmaps tailored to African countries and replicable models of cooperation.
The report was unveiled in Hunan Province, central China, which hosts the permanent venue of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
Jiang Hao, director of the institute’s international business department, said this year’s conference put more emphasis on delivering integrated solutions to Africa, drafting localized development plans with African partners, and building a regular platform of hands-on training to cultivate the continent’s capacity for independent clean energy development.
Ethiopia’s Aysha Wind Farm illustrates the approach: during construction and commissioning, local technicians trained by Chinese technicians gradually mastered core skills in turbine installation, operation and maintenance.
China’s experience in equipment manufacturing and energy infrastructure development has created valuable opportunities for cooperation
Nardos Bekele-Thomas, chief executive officer of the African Union Development Agency
She expressed hope that more entities will support African companies in joining the green energy industrial chain, developing products tailored to African markets and upgrading cooperation models to meet the continent’s actual sustainable development needs.
The African Union’s adoption of the African Green Hydrogen Strategy, the African Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan, and the African Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan has established a continental framework for a just, inclusive and equitable energy transition.
Kenya signs for 80 off-grid solar systems
Kenya and China signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday in Nairobi for the Africa Solar Belt Project, paving the way for 80 off-grid solar photovoltaic systems. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan signed for China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, while Alex Wachira, Principal Secretary for Energy, signed for Kenya’s Ministry of Energy at the Kawi Complex, witnessed by UNICEF country Representative Dr. Shaheen Nilofer.
The installations at Tana River and Kilifi counties and Maasai Mara University will prioritize health facilities, schools and community water supply systems, providing reliable electricity to rural communities that remain underserved by the national power grid.
China first announced the project at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi in 2023. The programme forms part of China’s South-South cooperation framework on climate change, building on the Ten-Hundred-Thousand Initiative and the Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Initiative on Climate Change. UNICEF will support implementation through matching funds and technical expertise, focusing on children and vulnerable communities. The initiative aligns with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
From a 2021 declaration to a Jinan forum in October
The cooperation now measured in gigawatts traces back to the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Combating Climate Change adopted at the Eighth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021, as The Diplomat notes on the eve of FOCAC 10.
The Third China-Africa Green Energy Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Forum, first held in Jinan in 2024, moved to Johannesburg for its 2025 edition and returned to Jinan October 23–25, 2026, drawing nearly 200 participants from 33 countries under the theme Bringing Together Global Innovation, Building a Green Energy Future
. Seven young scientists participated in the Talented Young Scientist Program Forum.
Cooperation has also moved from infrastructure delivery toward manufacturing. In 2024, a Chinese firm announced a lithium battery manufacturing project in Zambia with an investment of approximately $30 million; the facility in the Zambia-China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Zone is now operational, The Diplomat reported. Since 2025, Development Reimagined has tracked close to 20 Africa-China critical minerals projects involving lithium, graphite and rare earth elements. While Chinese state-owned enterprises such as Power China and Energy China remain dominant in delivering projects across Africa, an increasing number of Chinese private companies are expanding their footprint by investing in local manufacturing and production capacity.
Yueyang, November 4: the African Union’s pitch
Opening the conference in Yueyang one day before the report’s release, Ambassador Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, the African Union’s permanent representative to China, framed the gathering under the theme Building a China–Africa Green Energy Partnership
, aligned with the AU’s Agenda 2063. In his opening remarks, he urged participants to match the conference platform to the continent’s priority project pipelines under PIDA and CMP, turning cross-border interconnection and clean generation projects into bankable, deliverable ones.
Ambassador Bah noted that the African Single Electricity Market aims to establish a unified electricity market across the continent, while the Continental Master Plan provides a roadmap for connecting Africa’s major power pools and expanding installed capacity over time. For the AU, the priority lies in moving past planning documents to make cross-border interconnection and clean generation projects bankable and deliverable. Agenda 2063 identifies the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa as the core implementation framework for the infrastructure sector, and the China-AU Energy Partnership has provided a platform for policy dialogue and technical exchanges.
FOCAC 10 arrives in 2027
Development Reimagined’s China-Africa Climate Action Tracker records 246 publicly announced climate actions spanning 50 African countries from 2022 to the first half of 2026, encompassing nearly 49 GW of renewable energy in the development pipeline and more than 40 climate exchanges involving strategic partnerships, technology cooperation, capacity-building initiatives and industry collaborations.
As FOCAC 10 approaches in 2027, The Diplomat argues the next phase should be judged by what is actually delivered — power connected, goods manufactured locally, capabilities built — rather than by megawatts announced, against the backdrop of the 300 GW by 2030 renewable energy goal African leaders set in the 2023 Nairobi declaration.
