The United States closely examined solar product shipments from Ethiopia to verify

Since December, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has withheld $21.3 million worth of solar equipment from Ethiopia under a law prohibiting products made with forced labor, and most of these shipments have been denied entry into the country.

– Ethiopia is an increasingly important supplier in the American solar energy market. Solar imports from this African country were nonexistent before mid-2025 and reached $300 million by the end of the year. – Polysilicon, a raw material in the solar industry, is considered a highly prioritized sector in the law preventing forced labor of Uighurs, which bans products manufactured in the Chinese region of Xinjiang where Chinese authorities are said to have established work camps for Uighurs and other Muslim groups. China denies any abuse. – The CBP refused $16.3 million, or 76% of the $21.3 million worth of solar shipments from Ethiopia it held between December and February, according to an online dashboard from CBP. – For comparison, about 4% of solar shipments from all other countries were refused during the same period. – A CBP spokesperson stated that the agency does not comment on specific investigations due to the need to protect sensitive and confidential business information. – Companies such as the Japanese company Toyo have set up solar plants in Ethiopia in the past year. Toyo stated that it only uses non-Chinese polysilicon in its solar cells. “To date, none of Toyo’s direct shipments have been withheld or refused by CBP,” the company said.