US scrutinized solar shipments from Ethiopia for ties to forced labor

TOYO Co.,

14/04/2026 20:59

April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detained $21.3 million in shipments of solar energy equipment from Ethiopia since December under a law banning goods made with forced labor, and most of those shipments have been denied entry into the country.

Ethiopia is a rising supplier to the U.S. solar market. Solar imports from the African nation were non-existent before the middle of 2025 and reached $300 million by the end of the year.

Polysilicon, the solar industry's raw material, is identified as a high-priority sector in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans goods made in China's Xinjiang region, where Chinese authorities are reported to have established labor camps for ethnic Uyghur and other Muslim groups. China denies all abuses.

CBP turned away $16.3 million, or 76%, of the $21.3 million in solar shipments from Ethiopia it detained under the law between December and February, according to a CBP online dashboard.

In comparison, about 4% of detained solar shipments from all other countries were denied during the same period.

A CBP spokesperson said the agency does not comment on specific investigations due to the need to protect sensitive and business confidential information.

Companies including Japan's Toyo TOYO.O have set up solar factories in Ethiopia in the last year. In a statement, Toyo said it only uses non-Chinese polysilicon in its solar cells. "To date, none of Toyo's direct shipments have been detained or denied entry by CBP," the company said.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom
Editing by Rod Nickel)

((nichola.groom@thomsonreuters.com;))