Africa has an estimated 58,000 GW of onshore wind energy potential, yet installed capacity reached just 11.1 GW by the end of 2025, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The continent added wind capacity from less than 9 GW in 2023, but the gap between its estimated resource and operational projects remains substantial. GWEC’s latest Status of Wind in Africa report identifies grid infrastructure, project financing, electricity buyers and policy frameworks as key factors determining how quickly that potential can be developed.
Existing wind generation remains concentrated in three countries. South Africa had 4.2 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2025, followed by Egypt with 3.2 GW and Morocco with 2.2 GW; together, they accounted for more than 85% of the continent’s total. Ethiopia, Kenya, Tunisia, Senegal and Mauritania form a smaller group of wind markets, while Algeria, Libya and Sudan have developed less than 200 MW combined despite their substantial technical resources. The distribution points to a difference between having suitable wind conditions and creating the commercial and infrastructure arrangements needed to build projects.
The development pipeline suggests that investment interest extends beyond the countries already producing most of Africa’s wind power. GWEC identifies 186 GW across 259 planned projects, including developments at announced and pre-construction stages in Mauritania, Algeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Madagascar, Cameroon and Angola. However, planned capacity is not the same as capacity under construction or already operating. Turning these proposals into generating assets will depend on whether developers can secure financing, establish reliable electricity-sale arrangements and obtain access to transmission networks capable of delivering their output.
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Financing and power-sale agreements are particularly important in markets where developers face currency risks and uncertainty over who will buy the electricity. GWEC points to corporate power purchase agreements and greater participation by local banks and institutional investors as ways to support development. In South Africa, domestic banks and pension funds are financing much of the new wind capacity in local currency, helping reduce exposure to foreign-exchange constraints. The council also identifies hybrid projects combining wind, solar and battery storage as an emerging model, citing First Quantum’s planned 430 MW Zambia project, comprising 230 MW of solar and 200 MW of wind, as an example designed to provide a more consistent supply for industrial demand.
GWEC projects that Africa’s installed wind capacity could reach between 30 GW and 50 GW by 2035, with South Africa alone expected to exceed 15 GW. Reaching that range would require substantial growth from the 11.1 GW installed at the end of 2025, alongside progress in countries that have yet to translate their wind resources into large-scale projects. The opportunity extends beyond electricity generation: wind power could support industrial users seeking reliable energy and help diversify national power systems. But the 58,000 GW estimate describes a technical resource, not a construction-ready project pipeline. The scale of Africa’s eventual wind industry will depend on how much of that resource can be converted into financed, connected and operating power plants.
