The ALC intends building competencies by developing existing expertise and infrastructure. The facilities below will form its initial core:

Facility Region Field of specialisation The CSIR National Laser Centre Pretoria, South Africa (ALC headquarters) Manufacturing, machining and materials processing National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science Cairo, Egypt Medical and biological applications of lasers Name of Facility Country Field of Specialisation National Laser Centre, CSIR South Africa  Manufacturing, machining and materials processing Laser Research Institute, Stellenbosch University South Africa  Laser Development, Ultrafast Science and Laser Diagnostics Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University South Africa  Raman, IR and Photoluminescence spectroscopy of semiconductors; Optical Fibre technologies; Epitaxy of materials for photonic applications Ecole Supérieure des Communications de Tunis, Tunisia Tunisia   Department of Physics, University of Kwazulu-Natal South Africa   Department of Physics, University of Zambia Zambia   National University of Lesotho Lesotho   Centre for Energy Research & Development, OAU Obafemi Awolowo University Nigeria   Tunis el Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia Tunisia  Plant and environmental science and molecular spectroscopy CEPAMOQ, University of Douala Cameroon   Dept of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I Cameroon   iThemba Labs South Africa   Advanced Technologies Development Centre (CDTA) Algeria  Laser spectroscopy and surface studies Groupe de Physique des Solides et Sceince des Materioux, University of Cheikh Ante Diop Senegal  Atomic and molecular physics, laser spectroscopy and processing Laboratoire Atomes Lasers, Dept de Physique, University of Cheikh Ante Diop Senegal   Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Kenya   School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa   Department of Physics, University of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe   Laser and Fibre Optics Centre, University of Cape Coast Ghana  Agricultural and environmental science