IVORY COAST · SOLAR ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Ivory Coast, also called Côte d’Ivoire, is the world’s largest cocoa producer and is adding power plants to meet rising electricity demand.
- —What happened Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly launched the Tongon Solaire solar plant project in M’Bengué, in the northern Poro region, on Friday 23 October 2026.
- —The numbers The plant is rated 52 megawatt-peak and costs about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million). It should create about 500 jobs during construction.
- —The backers Tongon Solaire SAS, owned only by Ivorian investors, will design, finance, build and run the plant for 25 years under a state agreement.
- —The timeline Construction is due to start in 2027 and the plant should run by mid-2028 at the latest. The earlier target was the end of 2027.
- —What it means for you Local capital is now leading a utility-scale solar project, which could open work for equipment suppliers and builders once the construction contract is awarded.
- —Still open The builder has not been named, and the final approval of the environmental and social impact studies is still pending.
Tongon Solaire, an Ivorian company financed only by Ivorian capital, is preparing a 52-megawatt solar plant in northern Ivory Coast. The plant will cost about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million).
Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly launched the Tongon Solaire project on Friday 23 October 2026 in M’Bengué, in the Poro region. For US readers, it shows an African economy building power capacity with domestic money, with builders and lenders now watching the tender.
What Was Launched on 23 October
Mr Sangafowa-Coulibaly, who heads the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, opened the project at a ceremony in M’Bengué on Friday 23 October 2026. The Ivorian news agency AIP and the news site Linfodrome both reported that the plant will rise in the Poro region.
The plant is rated at 52 megawatt-peak (MWc), the maximum output of its panels under standard test conditions. Its cost is put at about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million), converted at roughly 586 CFA francs to the dollar.
What the Plant Will Deliver
The operator says the site will cover about 50 hectares, roughly 70 football pitches, and supply electricity to about 30,000 homes. The minister put the number of people reached at close to 300,000.
The plant should avoid about 39,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to the company. The company put its yearly output at about 90 gigawatt-hours when the state agreement was signed in August 2025.
Who Is Behind Tongon Solaire
Tongon Solaire SAS is a company led by its president, Abdoul Soukpafolo Koné, and owned entirely by Ivorian investors. Under its agreement with the state, it will design, finance, build and operate the plant for 25 years.
Mr Koné told the ceremony that the project proves Ivorian firms can deliver large national infrastructure. The state agreement was signed in Abidjan on Tuesday 5 August 2025, when the company first gave the same budget.
Where Construction Stands
The company says the groundwork is partly done: customary land rights have been cleared, and the farmers who used the site have been compensated. The environmental and social impact studies are finished, and the final approval is still moving through the process.
Bids from construction companies are being analysed, and no builder has been chosen. Building is due to begin in 2027, with power by mid-2028 at the latest, later than the end-2027 date set in August 2025.
Jobs and Local Promises
About 500 jobs are expected during construction, and the minister said they must go first to the sons and daughters of M’Bengué. Workers from outside should be hired only when the skills cannot be found locally.
He also asked the company to support young people and women in the department, farmers in particular. A representative of the local member of parliament and mayor, Ali Coulibaly Kader, asked for concrete gains in jobs, training and business for local firms.
Ivory Coast’s Wider Solar Push
The government wants renewable energy to supply 45% of the country’s power mix by 2030. About 15 solar projects are planned or under way, with a combined capacity of 1,262 MWc before that date.
A day earlier, on Thursday 22 October, the minister laid the first stone of a 50-megawatt plant in Katiola, as the Rio Times reported. The state’s emergency energy plan for 2026 to 2030 aims to lift solar output from 42 megawatts in 2026 to 925 megawatts in 2030.
What It Means for US Readers
Ivory Coast is opening its power sector to a wave of solar projects, and Tongon Solaire shows that local companies can lead them. US firms that sell panels, inverters, batteries or engineering services may find work as the 15 projects reach the building stage.
Reliable electricity matters for cocoa processing, mining and manufacturing, which are the sectors where many US buyers and investors have exposure. Travellers and business visitors in the north may eventually see steadier power, though the plant is not due to run before 2028.
What Is Not Known
The company has not said how the 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million) will be split between shareholders’ money and loans. The names of the investors and any lenders have not been made public.
The price at which the state-owned utility will buy the electricity has not been published. It is also unclear when the final environmental approval will arrive and which firm will win the construction contract.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tongon Solaire?
Tongon Solaire SAS is an Ivorian company with entirely Ivorian capital that will build and run a solar plant in M’Bengué. It holds a 25-year agreement with the state.
How big is the Tongon solar plant?
The plant has a capacity of 52 megawatt-peak and will cover about 50 hectares. It should supply about 30,000 homes.
How much will the Tongon Solaire plant cost?
The Tongon Solaire budget is about 33 billion CFA francs (about US$56 million). The company has not published how it will be financed.
When will the plant start producing power?
Construction is due to start in 2027, and the plant should be running by mid-2028 at the latest. The earlier target, set in August 2025, was the end of 2027.
Where is the plant being built?
The plant will be built in the M’Bengué department of the Poro region in northern Ivory Coast. The region’s main city is Korhogo.
Sources: Linfodrome, Énergie solaire : Tongon Solaire, un projet de 33 milliards FCFA à capitaux 100 % ivoiriens, 23 October 2026; AIP (Agence Ivoirienne de Presse), La centrale solaire de Tongon mobilise 33 milliards de FCFA, 24 October 2026; KOACI, Tongon, 33 milliards FCFA pour une centrale solaire de 52 MWc, 23 October 2026; Abidjan.net, Énergie : une centrale solaire photovoltaïque de 52 MWc prévue à M’Bengué, 5 August 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