The Carbon Markets Africa Summit 2025 has opened today in Johannesburg, bringing together regulators, project developers, financiers and governments from across the continent to tackle how Africa’s carbon-markets moment can translate into real value. Organized by VUKA Group, and supported by partners including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the summit will run through to 23 October, following a pre-conference masterclass today on 21 October.
As Africa holds natural assets that could underpin carbon markets, CMAS 2025 arrives at a moment when timing and integrity are aligned. While African jurisdictions hold vast forests, wetlands and renewable-energy potential, much of the carbon credit market has historically flowed elsewhere. According to International Energy Agency, Africa accounted for nearly one-fifth of global credits issued in 2024, double its share from 2020.
Across two days, the CMAS 2025 programme lays out a distinct architecture: from foundational market primers to high-level policy dialogues and investor roundtables. On Day 1 the “Keynote Opening Session – Scaling Carbon Markets for Africa’s Sustainable Growth Amid a Shifting Global Landscape” sets the tone. Speakers include Dion George (Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa), Fenella Aouane (Managing Director – Head of Carbon Pricing, Global Green Growth Institute) and Maxwell Gomera (UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub) among others.
A session titled “Road to COP30: Aligning Africa’s Carbon Strategy with Global Agendas?” will explore how African policies connect to frameworks such as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile the “High-Integrity in Practice – Standards, Verification & Market Trust” panel assesses how Africa can build credible carbon-credit systems while avoiding past pitfalls.
Before the main summit, the “CARBON 101” masterclass will offer a primer on carbon-market architecture, project-cycle concepts, and investment fundamentals, important for new entrants. On Day 2, investor roundtables such as “Connecting Climate Capital with Scalable Carbon Solutions” aim to match project-developers with financiers and risk-mitigation tools.
Among the key partners include UNDP, which has emphasised high-integrity markets and capacity-building for African governments. One Carbon World (OCW) is the summit’s climate-impact partner, auditing the event’s footprint as a signal of credibility. Regional alliances such as the East Africa Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance (EAACMCF) and the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance (WAACMCF) will appear in “Regional Alliance Exchange” dialogues. TASC, a carbon finance and project development company is also in line as one of the key partners.
Development finance institutions such as the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) will lead investment-table discussions on de-risking pipelines and policy frameworks.
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For just one example: in Nigeria a cook-stove carbon-project pipeline of 325,000–350,000 stoves annually could avoid some 450,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, translating to US$6.8–9.2 million a year at credit prices of US$15–20/tonne. That signals how carbon markets can link climate action, value chains, and local jobs. The real test at CMAS will be whether policy and finance align and whether “credits” become sustained revenue streams – not just slogans.
Africa’s climate-investment gap is estimated at around US$2.5 trillion by 2030; well-governed carbon markets could contribute meaningfully. Equally, credibility is key: buyers are increasingly demanding well-documented credits and transparent host-country systems. The summit’s inclusion of its own footprint-audit partner underscores that shift, underlining that Africa will not simply sell offsets, it must sell trusted offsets.
Key expectations ahead
Observers at CMAS will be watching for:
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Clear signals of authorization pathways and registries for Article 6 transfers.
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Announcements of new project-finance vehicles or blended-finance instruments tailored for African NBS (Nature-Based Solutions).
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Evidence of cross-regional alignment to avoid fragmentation of carbon-markets rules.
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Listings of buyer commitments and agreements with African project developers.
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Enhanced capacity-building initiatives that link policy, project-cycle fundamentals and private-sector readiness.
As the summit unfolds in Johannesburg, the central question for Africa is whether carbon markets become a material lever for sustainable development or remain marginal side-cars.
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If institutions, investors and governments converge on credible systems, Africa may craft an inclusive carbon-economy narrative, one that rewards forests, wetlands, and renewable-energy assets, while creating value for communities, not just corporate buyers.
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