Kenya's Special
Envoy for Climate Change, Ambassador Ali Mohammed, has called for urgent
reforms to ensure carbon markets deliver tangible benefits for African nations.
Speaking at the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD's High-Level Dialogue on
Africa Principles for Carbon Markets, the ambassador highlighted both the
potential and challenges facing the continent in this emerging economic
sector.
The two-day
dialogue, building on recent AMCEN discussions and the 2023 Nairobi
Declaration, examined how carbon markets could help debt-burdened African
countries access climate finance. Ambassador Mohammed revealed stark
disparities in current participation, with Africa generating just 16% of global
carbon credits – concentrated in only five countries: Kenya, Zimbabwe,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Uganda.
"As Chair
of the Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets, we're working to ensure market rules
reflect African realities," stated
Mohammed. The Coalition plans to establish standardized business principles for
carbon credit use by COP30, addressing current fragmentation across
jurisdictions.
The discussions
identified critical capacity gaps in governments and local communities to
effectively engage in carbon markets. In response, the ambassador proposed
creating a Pan-African Carbon Market Advisory Group to provide continent-wide
technical support on market readiness and Article 6 implementation under the
Paris Agreement.
The dialogue
represents Africa's concerted push to transform carbon markets from an uneven
playing field into an engine for sustainable development. With the continent
possessing vast natural assets for carbon sequestration, participants
emphasized the need for systems that ensure environmental integrity while
delivering fair economic returns to African nations and communities.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
