With about 600 million people lacking electricity access in Africa, nearly half the continent's population, power outages are a frequent part of daily life, with potentially serious consequences for healthcare facilities.

A study published in August 2025 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reveals that 54% of community health centers surveyed in Mali use a solar photovoltaic system with batteries as their primary energy source. Additionally, 95% of the country's reference health centers have integrated solar power into their energy mix. These figures illustrate a broader trend: the growing adoption of solar energy in African healthcare facilities to combat power cuts, high diesel costs, and limited access to the national grid.

Solar Offers an Affordable Solution

Beyond Mali, the installation of off-grid solar units has become increasingly common across the continent, from Madagascar to the Central African Republic. In Madagascar, the World Bank-supported LEAD project has already electrified 500 rural health centers that were previously without power. The autonomous solar systems provide better lighting, refrigeration for medical products, sterilization, and other services that have improved the quality of care for tens of thousands of Malagasy people. In the Central African Republic, the World Health Organization launched a similar project in February 2025 to electrify 50 centers, including 35 district hospitals, using decentralized systems.

"The installation of solar panels with batteries will ensure reliable access to energy, which is essential for the operation of medical equipment, lighting operating rooms, preserving medicines, as well as for communication and access to drinking water," the WHO stated in its announcement. "By reducing reliance on diesel generators, this project also helps limit polluting emissions while improving maternal and child health."

In Nigeria, the high cost of electricity from generators led Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to install 436 solar panels at Zurmi General Hospital. The 250-kilowatt system has replaced a monthly consumption of over 11,000 liters of fuel while enabling the refrigeration of medicines and ensuring uninterrupted emergency surgeries.

Simulations conducted by IRENA for its "Electrification with Renewables: Enhancing Healthcare Delivery in Mali" study confirm that the switch to solar, especially for facilities dependent on generators, reduces costs. The agency calculated that a reference health center equipped with a 42-kilowatt solar system, costing $95,715, can cover all its energy needs. In a scenario with low diesel consumption, the investment is recouped in 6.5 years. When consumption reaches 30 liters per day, the return on investment drops to just two years. While cost is a major factor, the report also highlights the severity of power cuts affecting health facilities in Mali, where 93% of institutions report compromised care, 97% of staff report discomfort, and 81% have problems preserving vaccines.

Broadening the Scope

The increasing use of solar in African healthcare is currently focused on off-grid rural areas where the electricity deficit is most acute. However, it relies on one-off projects led by international donors or private actors. This raises questions about the need for national strategies that fully integrate solar energy into the power supply of healthcare facilities across the continent, both in major cities and in small villages.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa possesses 60% of the world's best solar resources but only 1% of its power generation capacity. Expanding from a few hundred electrified centers to thousands, however, requires mobilizing suitable financing and accelerating electricity access for the majority of the population. This is the goal of the Mission 300 launched in 2024 by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which aims to connect 300 million Africans by 2030 through a combination of on- and off-grid solutions.

Emiliano Tossou