Sun King has announced its first large-scale manufacturing facility in Africa, opening in Kenya with a second site planned for Nigeria. The move signals a strategic shift from import-reliant supply chains to locally anchored production that serves millions of off-grid and under-electrified customers. By bringing assembly and advanced electronics closer to end users, the company aims to cut costs, improve availability, and seed durable industrial capabilities across key African markets.
New facilities and production plan
The Kenyan facility will begin with an annual capacity of up to 700,000 units and is designed with room for further expansion. Initial production will focus on energy-efficient televisions and smartphones optimized to run on Sun King’s solar systems. The planned Nigerian plant will follow in a later phase, reinforcing a twin-hub model intended to diversify risk, shorten lead times, and establish a resilient regional supply chain.
Product portfolio and local integration
Sun King designs, installs, and finances solar systems alongside a growing lineup of electronics, including smartphones, televisions, fans, and freezers. Manufacturing these products in Africa allows the company to iterate faster on energy efficiency, firmware, and durability for local conditions. Management says the firm is actively assessing additional product lines, engaging with Kenya’s maturing industrial ecosystem to reduce bill-of-materials costs and pass savings to households and small businesses.
Industrial impact and workforce development
Africa contributes roughly a small share of global manufacturing value added, and formal factory employment remains limited across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Sun King positions its investment as a direct response, with the Nairobi site alone expected to employ hundreds of locally hired staff. The plan includes technical training and upskilling programs that broaden recruitment pipelines for men and women, building transferable skills in electronics assembly, quality control, and supply chain operations.
Policy alignment and public endorsements
Senior officials in Kenya and Nigeria framed the move as consistent with national industrial and energy objectives. Kenya’s State Department of Industry described the milestone as a vote of confidence in local manufacturing, aligning with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Nigeria’s Vice President highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance incentives, streamline regulation, and de-risk private capital to accelerate a self-sustaining renewable energy market supported by domestic production.
Supply chain efficiency and sustainability
Localizing production is expected to lower logistics costs, reduce transport-related emissions, and keep more value within African economies. Shorter supply chains can stabilize inventory during global shocks, while proximity to customers enables faster service, product updates, and after-sales support. Sun King notes that dependable local availability is critical for off-grid users, who rely on solar kits and efficient devices for lighting, refrigeration, communication, and commerce.
Market traction and operating scale
Demand for clean, affordable energy is expanding as solar becomes a leading source of new employment and enterprise formation. Sun King reports it delivers more than 330,000 solar kits each month across the continent, up sharply from 10,000 in 2017, with one in five Kenyan households now using a company product. The firm says nearly all of its approximately 40,000 jobs globally are based in Africa and Asia, reflecting the company’s distribution footprint and customer service model.
Leadership perspectives and execution roadmap
Chief Executive T. Patrick Walsh said the facilities are designed to harness regional talent, improve quality control, and hold prices at levels customers can afford. Senior Vice President Dr. Wale Aboyade underscored long-term partnerships with governments and communities as essential to scaling African manufacturing. Chief Operating Officer Kota Kojima added that in-region capacity gives Sun King flexibility to innovate faster, ship sooner, and strengthen an ecosystem of local suppliers over time.
By pairing manufacturing in Kenya with a forthcoming site in Nigeria, Sun King is converting sustained market demand into localized industrial capability. The two-country approach is structured to create jobs, deepen technical skills, and embed value within African economies while tightening supply chains for critical energy and connectivity products. If execution matches ambition, the initiative could serve as a template for how off-grid energy leaders anchor production in Africa to accelerate access, affordability, and long-term resilience.