IVORY COAST · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is a French-speaking West African nation and the world’s top cocoa producer, with Abidjan as its economic capital.
- —What happened On Thursday 22 October 2026 Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly laid the first stone of the plant at Lonankaha, near Katiola.
- —The plant The plant is rated 50 megawatts-peak (MWp), the maximum output of its panels in full sun.
- —The numbers The investment is about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million), per the 2025 announcement, and building should take 15 months.
- —Who benefits The developer says the plant will bring electricity to more than 300,000 people in the Hambol region.
- —Who pays The state is not paying: the company designs, finances, owns and runs the plant under a 25-year concession.
- —Still open Lenders have signed only mandate letters; no buyer contract or exact completion date has been published.
Ivory Coast has started building the Katiola solar plant, a 50MW project in a town in the north of the country. Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly laid the first stone on Thursday 22 October 2026, according to Ivorian outlets including Linfodrome and Koaci.
For US readers, the project shows a West African market where private developers, not the state, put up the money for power plants. American solar firms, equipment makers and lenders looking at Africa can use it as a guide to how such deals are structured.
What Happened at Katiola
The minister laid the first stone of the Katiola solar plant at Lonankaha, a locality of Katiola in the Hambol region of north-central Ivory Coast. Katiola’s mayor, Thomas Camara, and a representative of the developer also spoke, according to Linfodrome and the Ivorian outlet Koaci.
Koaci reports that the minister told the developer to give construction jobs first to young people from Katiola and Lonankaha. The developer expects about 150 direct jobs during building, 350 people at the peak, and around 20 permanent posts.
Who Is Building the Plant
The developer is Katiola Solar Power, which Ecofin Agency described in 2025 as a subsidiary of the Swiss energy group JC Mont-Fort. The Ivorian outlet APA says Toyota and the French utility EDF also back the project, which the 2025 reports do not mention.
Ivory Coast’s government approved the deal at a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday 21 May 2025, after the agreement was signed in December 2024. The concession runs for 25 years, so the company keeps the plant and sells its power for a quarter of a century.
What the Plant Costs and Produces
The investment is about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million at 585 francs to the dollar), according to the 2025 government announcement. The CFA franc is the shared currency of eight West African states and is pegged to the euro.
The Katiola solar plant is expected to produce 85,934 megawatt-hours of electricity a year, the same announcement said. A December 2024 trade report put its net grid feed at 41.4MW, and Koaci says a 1.3-kilometre line will connect it to the national network.
Where Katiola Fits in Ivory Coast’s Solar Push
A similar 50MW plant at Kong, in the north, had its first stone laid in October 2025 by the same minister. PV Magazine says Kong is due in the first quarter of 2027, with 58.2MW of solar in operation and 149MW under construction nationwide.
Ivory Coast wants about 1,044MW of solar power by 2030, up from an earlier goal of 678MW, and 45% of its electricity from renewables. Background on the country is in our guide to Ivory Coast.
What It Means for US Readers
The project is a template for private power in West Africa, with a foreign-linked developer taking the financing risk under a state concession. US developers, panel suppliers and lenders weighing similar projects can study the terms as they emerge.
The backers named so far are Swiss, Japanese and French rather than American, so direct US exposure looks small. Ivory Coast’s wider economy, which this plant helps to power, is covered in our GDP ranking report.
What Is Not Known
The sources do not say who will buy the Katiola solar plant’s electricity or at what price. Koaci and APA report mandate letters with lenders EBRD and Proparco, but financial close on the 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million) is pending.
A 2024 report planned commissioning for the fourth quarter of 2026, so the 15 months now announced point to roughly early 2028. No official has given a firm date for the Katiola solar plant to start work or deliver power.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Katiola solar plant?
The Katiola solar plant is a 50MWp solar power plant being built at Lonankaha, near Katiola in northern Ivory Coast. Its first stone was laid on Thursday 22 October 2026.
Who is paying for the Katiola solar plant?
The developer, Katiola Solar Power, finances the plant itself under a 25-year concession. The government put the private investment at about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million) in 2025.
How many people will the plant serve?
The developer says more than 300,000 people will gain access to electricity. The plant should produce about 85,934 megawatt-hours a year.
When will the Katiola solar plant be finished?
Construction is set to take 15 months from the start of work. No exact opening date has been published.
Can US companies take part in Ivory Coast solar projects?
The power sector uses long private concessions, so foreign firms can join projects, but the sources do not name any American company at Katiola. Interested firms would deal with the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy.
Sources: Linfodrome (French), Katiola : la première pierre de la centrale solaire photovoltaïque de 50 MWc posée, 22 October 2026; Koaci (French), Katiola, Sangafowa-Coulibaly lance une centrale solaire de 50 MWc et exige des emplois pour les jeunes locaux, 22 October 2026; APA News (French), RCI : top départ d’une centrale solaire de 50 MWc à Katiola, 22 October 2026; AllAfrica / Government of Côte d’Ivoire (French), Le gouvernement annonce la construction d’une centrale solaire à Katiola, 24 May 2025; Ecofin Agency, Côte d’Ivoire approves US$60M solar project in Katiola, 22 May 2025; PV Magazine, Ivory Coast breaks ground on 50 MW solar project, 14 October 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief