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Global South Cooperation Key to Building Resilient Solar PV Supply Chains: Abhinav Mahajan

At IECE 2026, IB Solar Director and NSEFI Manufacturing Committee Chair Abhinav Mahajan joined global industry and government leaders to discuss how India and the Global South can build resilient solar PV supply chains spanning manufacturing, technology, minerals and deployment.

August 10, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

India’s rapidly expanding solar manufacturing ecosystem must be supported by deeper international collaboration across technology, manufacturing, raw materials and deployment to create more resilient and diversified clean-energy supply chains, Abhinav Mahajan, Director, IB Solar and Chair, Manufacturing Committee, National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), said during a high-level panel discussion at the 7th CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition (IECE 2026) in New Delhi.

Mahajan participated in a panel discussion on ‘Advancing Cooperation Across Solar PV Supply Chain: From Manufacturing to Deployment’, bringing together industry and government representatives from India, Africa and other emerging markets to examine opportunities for strengthening cooperation across the solar value chain.

The discussion, which Energetica India followed closely at IECE 2026, offered a strong Global South perspective on the evolving solar PV manufacturing landscape and the need for greater collaboration as countries seek to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities while accelerating clean energy deployment.

The panel was moderated by Jagjeet Sareen, India Country Head, Dalberg, and featured Noma Qase, Director, Renewable Energy, Department of Electricity and Energy, South Africa; Antony Langat, Assistant Manager, Manufacturing & Industry, KenGen, Kenya; Chuks Umezulora, CEO, Auxano Solar Nigeria; and Emilian Nyanda, Minister of Energy, Tanzania, alongside Mahajan.

The conversation highlighted that the solar transition is increasingly moving beyond capacity addition towards the creation of robust domestic and regional manufacturing ecosystems. For emerging economies, particularly across the Global South, this presents an opportunity to develop local capabilities, create skilled employment and retain greater economic value from the clean-energy transition.

From India's perspective, Mahajan's participation brought the country's rapidly developing PV manufacturing ecosystem into the wider Global South conversation. India's growing manufacturing base, policy support and expanding deployment market position it as an important partner for countries seeking to establish or strengthen their own solar value chains.

The session also highlighted the importance of South-South cooperation, including technology exchange, capacity building, investment partnerships and stronger market linkages. Such collaboration could help emerging markets diversify their sources of solar equipment and critical inputs while creating new avenues for Indian manufacturers to participate in international clean-energy markets.

The discussion formed part of the Global South Convening on Clean Technology Minerals & Supply Chains, held on August 6–7, 2026, at Hotel Le Méridien, New Delhi, alongside IECE 2026. The convening was hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and brought together senior representatives from government, industry, financing institutions, academia and development partners from more than 15 countries.

The convening focused on facilitating strategic dialogue around South-South and international collaboration for more inclusive and resilient clean-technology mineral and supply chains, covering the journey from exploration and manufacturing to deployment.

For the Indian solar industry, the conversation comes at a critical juncture. With the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM)-listed domestic PV module manufacturing capacity surpassing 215 GW as of early August 2026, Indian companies are increasingly looking towards international markets. At the same time, India is looking to strengthen its own manufacturing capability through backward integration into cells, wafers and ingots. Building partnerships across the Global South could open a new chapter for the country's solar manufacturing ambitions, asserted Mahajan.

The panellists underscored that the next frontier for solar will not be defined by manufacturing capacity alone, but by the ability of countries to build dependable, diversified and collaborative supply chains that can withstand global disruptions while enabling faster clean-energy deployment.

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Global South Convening on Clean Technology Supply

Solar PV supply chain

Global South cooperation on solar supply chain

India solar manufacturing sector