US customs releases Ethiopia-made solar cells after supply chain review
Japan's TOYO showed where its materials came from, but a wider US trade investigation into Ethiopian solar exports continues.
Addis Ababa — US Customs and Border Protection has released shipments of solar cells made at a Japanese company's factory in Ethiopia, after reviewing documents tracing the origin of its materials.
TOYO said on 29 October that it had shown where its polysilicon and wafers came from. Chief executive Takahiko Onozuka said the company remained committed to transparency as it expands in the US, where it has a plant in Humble, Texas.
The bigger dispute
The release comes amid a US Commerce Department investigation, launched in July, into whether solar cells from Ethiopia are getting round duties on Chinese products. Eight US manufacturers petitioned for it in May, naming TOYO and Origin Solar.
Imports of Ethiopian solar cells and modules, virtually nonexistent before July 2025, reached an estimated $277 million in the second half of that year.
Source: Addis Standard via AllAfrica, 30 October 2026.
