Africa’s cellphone towers are increasingly being fitted for solar power as surging diesel costs tied to the Iran war tighten the supply and raise the price of the fuel that has traditionally run most of the continent’s roughly 500,000 telecommunications towers, according to the Associated Press. The push comes even as many operators had already been moving away from diesel for financial and climate reasons, but the recent fuel-market volatility has “made it even more volatile,” GSMA’s Lande Abudu said, adding urgency to a shift already underway.
Abudu, a senior energy specialist for Africa at GSMA, said diesel has long been a major cost for network power but that the “recent global events have made it even more volatile,” strengthening the case for solar and hybrid solutions. Mobile network operators across the continent are adopting hybrid systems that combine solar panels with battery storage and limited diesel backup, with some aiming to transition more sites to fully solar-powered operations over time—especially in rural and off-grid areas where extending electricity grids can be difficult and expensive.
Traditionally, many cellphone towers have relied on diesel generators, large industrial units that require operators to manually refuel them. By contrast, solar-powered towers use solar panels to generate electricity and battery systems to store energy for continuous operation, reducing dependence on fuel logistics and the risk of interruptions when diesel is scarce or unaffordable.
Last month, American-owned Atlas Tower Kenya said it was investing $52.5 million to build 300 new solar-powered telecommunications towers for major operators including Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya, with the firm saying it currently has 82% of its 500 towers solar powered. Abudu said the change is significant but also comes with “still a long way to go,” as operators work through technical, financial and site-by-site constraints.
The economic case for solar is intensifying. AP reported that energy can account for up to 60% of operating costs for telecom towers in off-grid areas, and that diesel—once the default solution—has become more expensive and harder to manage because of factors including transport logistics, theft, and ongoing maintenance. Vodacom Africa said its energy costs rose 5% to $300 million in 2025 from the prior year, citing higher electricity tariffs and fuel prices, and the company said Safaricom last year raised $153.6 million in green bonds to help it transition its towers to solar power.
In Nigeria, the pressure has been sharper, AP reported, with the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023 driving diesel prices up as much as 200% within a year and operators spending about $400 million annually to keep towers running. The report said recent global price increases tied to the Iran conflict have added further pressure, and companies are responding by accelerating deployments of clean energy tower projects supported by financing models that differ from traditional fuel-dependent approaches.
Operators also report benefits beyond cost. AP said solar-powered and hybrid systems can be less vulnerable to fuel shortages and generator failures, improving service reliability in underserved areas. In parts of northern Nigeria and Congo, the report said cellular outages linked to fuel shortages have disrupted services including mobile money transactions and emergency communications, while in rural Kenya residents described more stable access to mobile banking, education and health information after solar-powered towers were installed.
Martin Imwatok, a teacher in northern Kenya, said in comments provided to AP that “Before this telecommunication mast was installed, we struggled to process mobile money payment or even call for help during medical emergencies,” and that “When these towers go off, business and life stop.” Industry officials and regulators also argue that the shift can support broader electrification goals, AP reported, including through solar minigrids that extend power to communities beyond the towers themselves.
The Nigerian Communications Commission said telecom towers can function as “anchor clients for solar minigrids, supplying electricity not only to the towers but also to nearby homes, businesses and public services,” according to Aminu Maida, the regulator’s head. As fuel prices remain uncertain amid global tensions, GSMA and network operators said the move toward solar and hybrid power is increasingly being framed not only as a climate decision but as a resilience strategy to keep Africa connected.