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Africa’s carbon markets enter new phase as Kigali Summit targets investment – EnviroNews
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Africa’s carbon markets are entering a new phase as governments strengthen policy frameworks, investors seek credible projects and stakeholders look to unlock more climate finance.
These developments will take centre stage at the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2026, scheduled for Oct. 13 to 15 in Kigali, Rwanda.
The summit will bring together policymakers, investors, carbon project developers, corporate buyers and carbon market leaders from Africa and beyond to explore how high-integrity carbon markets can attract investment and support sustainable development.
The gathering comes as implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement advances globally and African countries move from market readiness toward actual transactions.
The African Union is rolling out its Africa Action Plan on Carbon Markets, while countries including Ghana are developing Article 6 project pipelines and authorization systems.
The African Principles for Equity and Integrity in Carbon Markets, developed through AUDA-NEPAD, are also placing greater emphasis on governance, transparency, community benefit-sharing and market confidence.
The next challenge, however, is turning policy progress into transactions and investment.
Buyers and investors are increasingly assessing project quality, measurement, reporting and verification, compliance readiness, transaction certainty and policy clarity.
Strong projects will need access to appropriate capital, buyers, standards, market infrastructure and institutional support if Africa’s carbon markets are to scale.
The summit will be hosted by Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment, with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and African Development Bank (AfDB) serving as host organizations.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) will serve as host partner, while AUDA-NEPAD will be the strategic institutional partner.
Other contributors and partners include GIZ, BeZero Carbon, Welthungerhilfe, FSD Africa, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Carbon Standards International.
Article 6, CORSIA and market integrity
The updated CMAS programme will examine how Article 6 and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, known as CORSIA, can move from policy frameworks into actual transactions.
Participants will also discuss what buyers and investors are prepared to finance, what makes carbon projects bankable and verifiable, and how Africa can strengthen its measurement, reporting and verification capacity while maintaining market integrity.
The programme will feature contributions and technical insights from organizations including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the European Commission.
More than 10 African governments and more than 20 investors and financiers are expected to be represented.
The three-day summit will feature leadership discussions, investor and buyer roundtables, project showcases, technical workshops, solution labs and dedicated deal rooms.
Topics will include Article 6 and CORSIA, voluntary carbon market demand, offtake agreements, high-quality MRV and ratings, policy readiness, regional market alignment and early-stage carbon finance.
Participants will also examine global regulatory changes, private capital de-risking, authorization processes, registry interoperability and the expansion of MRV and validation and verification body capacity across Africa.
A UNEP-hosted Nature Deal Room will bring together African governments, corporate buyers, investors, standards organizations and market intermediaries to advance high-integrity nature-based carbon transactions.
Africa’s opportunity
Shikha Sharma, global technical lead for offsets and removals at SGS, said Africa could play a major role in shaping the global carbon market.
“I genuinely think Africa could become the defining force in global carbon markets,” Sharma said.
She said Africa’s natural resources provide significant opportunities but emphasized the importance of strong governance, local capacity and market integrity.
“If Africa gets governance right, invests in local capabilities and keeps integrity at the centre, it won’t just supply the market. It will influence how the market operates globally,” she said.
For UNDP, the opportunity extends beyond carbon transactions to broader development outcomes.
“For UNDP, the true value of carbon markets lies in what they make possible: finance for national priorities, decent jobs, resilient livelihoods, and sustainable development,” said Fatmata Lovetta Sesay, UNDP resident representative in Rwanda.
“The task before us in Kigali is to build markets that are credible, investable, and designed to deliver real value for African countries and communities,” she said.
Emmanuelle Nicholls, portfolio director, said collaboration between governments, investors, project developers and the private sector would be critical to unlocking the continent’s carbon market potential.
She said Africa’s strengthening policy frameworks and growing investor confidence present an opportunity to mobilize climate finance while delivering economic, environmental and social benefits.
“CMAS 2026 is designed to bring those stakeholders together to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships and accelerate practical action that supports Africa’s growing carbon markets,” Nicholls said.
The summit is expected to provide a platform for African governments and market participants to address the practical barriers standing between carbon market policy and investment, as the continent seeks to position itself more prominently in the global climate finance landscape.
By Winston Mwale, AfricaBrief
