An Egyptian state-owned company, Arab Industrialization Organization (AOI) has announced that it will launch solar power plants in Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, Eritrea, Somalia and Southern Sudan, with capacities ranging from 2 to 4MW.

The company will be responsible for the design, financing, construction and operation of the plants.

The projects will produce electricity as well as desalination plants in targeted countries.

The initiative also benefits from a grant approved by the Egyptian government to the tune of $12 million.

Egypt boasts one of the most progressive renewable energy programmes in Africa, which has seen one of the world’s biggest solar parks come to fruition.

The Benban solar complex located in the city of Aswan in southeastern Egypt is one of the largest of its kind in the world at 1.65GW and is set to be completed by year-end.

The North African company also recently commissioned the 200MW Suez wind farm.

A second 252MW wind project recently achieved financial close.