Resumen
Through examination of telecom operations, there are clear signs indicating that Africa offers a huge market and investment opportunities. Mobile telephone and ICT facilities are spreading very fast as millions of Africans yearn for this innovation. Until the advent of mobile phone, many Africans never had access to telephone facilities. The influx of mobile technology brought unprecedented growth, significant investment and business opportunities in the booming telecom and IT sectors. However, the provision of reliable electricity to support the telecom and IT industry currently poses a challenge to the continent. The demand for electricity is expected to increase due to population growth rate and the increasing desire for telecom and ICT gadgets as well as the expansion in the industrialization. To overcome these challenges and also to improve the economic and social standards of people, it is essential that decentralized source of power generation such as solar power is given much attention by policy makers and mobile telecom operators. Solar power generation in Africa has a high potential and promises to be a more reliable alternative since there is enough sunshine in every part of the continent. The main aim of this paper is to promote the introduction of renewable energy into the telecom industry as an intervention of finding reliable alternative energy source of electric power. The paper outlines the economic and technical advantages of solar photovoltaic electricity. However, the challenge is how this renewable energy should be used in order to be beneficial to the continent and other developing countries as we move towards the next generation network.Keywords: ICT, Africa, sustainable development, solar energy.