In 2010, when Lighting Africa first released a comprehensive report on the African lighting industry, an exciting future was heralded for a product set to revolutionize clean, affordable lighting for low income households. Annual growth rates of more than 85% were predicted under bullish circumstances, accompanied by rapid price drops and performance improvements, leading to a fast relegation of the traditional kerosene lantern to minority status by 2030. Two years on, the market for quality lighting products has matured even more rapidly than predicted. Since 2009, the market in Africa has experienced dramatic growth—starting from approximately 300,000 lighting products in Africa in 2009 annual sales grew at 90-95% per year and reached approximately 4.4 million units by the end of 2012. Sales of Lighting Global quality-verified PLSs have grown by 300%. The high volume of sales of quality-verified PLSs suggests an evolving consumer base that is becoming more experienced and aware. Self-reported sales data from quality-verified manufacturers indicate that there were close to 1.4 million quality-verified PLSs in the African market by Q4 2012. According to our best estimates, this represents more than a quarter of the total number of lighting products4 in the market today.
Resource Type: Market Analysis & Trends