This is not a simple extractive relationship. It's a matter of building sophisticated infrastructure in countries which are close neighbours, and with which there is considerable interpenetration in culture and population.

Desertec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Obstacles

Centralized solar energy plants and transmission lines may become a target of terrorist attacks.^[5] Some experts--such as Professor Tony Day, director of the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Building at London South Bank University,^[22] Henry Wilkinson of Janusian Security Risk Management,^[20] and Wolfram Lacher of Control Risks consultancy^[20] -- are concerned about political obstacles to the project. Generating so much of the electricity consumed in Europe and in Africa would create a political dependency on North African countries which have corruption and a lack of cross-border coordination. Moreover, DESERTEC would require extensive economic and political cooperation between Algeria and Morocco, which is at risk as the border between the two countries is closed due to a disagreement over the Western Sahara. Cooperation between the states of Europe and the states of the Middle East and North Africa is also certain to be challenging. Large scale cooperation necessary between the EU and the north African nations the project may be delayed due to bureaucratic red tape and other factors such as expropriation of assets.^[20]

i.e. it's got to be a win-win proposition, in countries without crippling corruption and insurgencies, otherwise it's a non-starter.

Algeria is currently the show-stopper. The pilot projects will mostly concern Morocco, so Algeria is not necessarily on the critical path yet.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}