The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2025, held in Johannesburg from October 22 to 23, as the official host partner to prepare African governments to become carbon market ready.
This pivotal collaboration aims to unlock billions of dollars in climate finance by strengthening high-integrity carbon markets throughout the continent, enabling Africa to leverage its vast natural resources for sustainable development and a greener future.
Maxwell Gomera, UNDP Resident Representative in South Africa and Director of the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, emphasized the urgency of solving Africa’s energy challenges despite technological advances globally.
He said, “It’s 2025, and we can send people to the moon and build driverless cars, yet millions of Africans still lack access to clean cooking energy. Carbon markets offer a powerful tool to mobilize finance needed for climate action while ensuring equitable benefits.”
The CMAS event unites regulators, investors, project developers, and policymakers from across Africa and beyond to build a transparent, verifiable, and fair carbon market system that aligns with global standards like Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Countries such as Kenya, Gabon, and Ghana are already crafting regulatory frameworks to position themselves as active market participants. A pre-summit Carbon 101 masterclass on October 21 further educates stakeholders on carbon market mechanics and strategic timing.
Africa currently supplies less than 5% of global carbon credits despite its abundant forests, wetlands, and renewable energy potential. UNDP and CMAS organizers seek to change this to ensure Africa claims a fairer share of the global carbon economy, which is projected to grow beyond $100 billion annually by 2030.
This partnership marks a major step forward in Africa’s leadership in climate finance, aiming to accelerate the continent’s Agenda 2063 and the Paris Agreement goals through sustainable and inclusive development driven by high-integrity carbon markets.