The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian Investment Commission to fast-track its entry into the Horn of Africa nation, with operations expected to begin almost immediately.
Expansion into underserved markets
Under the agreement, Sun King will deploy solar home systems and inverter solutions to more than two million households and businesses by 2030, focusing on rural and peri-urban areas beyond the reach of the national grid.
“We are moving with urgency to build our team, establish our network and bring affordable solar solutions to the millions of Ethiopians who deserve access to reliable electricity,” said Kota Kojima, Sun King chief operating officer.
Ethiopia, despite generating nearly all its grid electricity from renewable sources, still has tens of millions of people without consistent access to power. This gap has made distributed solar solutions increasingly attractive, particularly as the country pursues universal electrification under its national energy strategy.
Sun King model, which combines solar products with pay-as-you-go financing, will be central to its rollout. The firm plans to tailor its financing and distribution approach to local conditions, including building a network of agents and technicians to support installation and maintenance.
Scaling operations across Africa
The Ethiopian government, through the investment commission, has committed to providing regulatory support, including business licensing and investor facilitation, signalling growing openness to foreign capital as part of broader economic reforms.
The move forms part of Sun King wider ambition to connect 200 million people to electricity by 2030, aligned with initiatives such as Mission 300, backed by the African Development Bank and the World Bank, which aims to expand electricity access to 300 million Africans by the end of the decade.
The Ethiopia entry adds to Sun King aggressive expansion across Africa, where it already operates in more than a dozen markets. The firm has scaled rapidly, growing monthly solar kit sales from about 10,000 units in 2017 to more than 330,000 today, with a long-term target of one million units per month.
To support this growth, Sun King has been raising fresh capital and expanding its manufacturing footprint. It recently secured KSh5.1 billion ($40 million) in equity funding from UK-based investor Lightrock and earlier raised more than KSh20 billion through a securitisation deal backed by future customer repayments.
In Kenya, the company has also diversified into solar-powered consumer electronics, including smartphones and televisions, intensifying competition with other pay-as-you-go providers in the device financing segment.
The Ethiopia investment underscores a strategic shift towards large, underserved markets where grid expansion alone is unlikely to meet rising energy demand, positioning solar as a critical complement in Africa electrification drive.
