The upcoming Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) programme features the continent’s entire carbon markets value chain in what is a compelling combination of successful early carbon market movers, climate-finance-ready projects, regulatory bodies as well as global institutional development organisations and investors.
The event is taking place in Johannesburg from 22 to 23 October, with pre-conference sessions on 21 October.
CMAS is dedicated to unlocking Africa’s carbon market potential, incorporating integrity, investment and impact. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) are official supporters of the event.
Shifting global landscape
Day 1’s opening session will focus on the continent’s pivotal opportunity to define its own carbon trajectory, attract meaningful investment and align carbon market growth with the priorities of climate resilience, equity and sustainable development. Speakers already confirmed include:
– Iain Banner, Chairman, South Africa
– Fenella Aouane, Global Green Growth Institute, Luxembourg
– Maxwell Gomera, UNDP
– Javier Manzanares, Allen Manza, Panama
– Caroline Tixier, EU Delegation to South Africa
– Angela Churie Kallhauge, Impact, Environmental Defence Fund, USA
Aligning strategy with global agendas
The session on the “Road to COP30: Aligning Africa’s Carbon Strategy with Global Agendas” will look compare Africa’s carbon strategy with global frameworks such as Article 6. High-level representatives from the GMEX Group, AfDBm Verra and ACMI will be part of this panel discussion.
Carbon market frameworks
As African countries move from climate ambition to implementation, regulatory clarity is becoming the cornerstone of carbon market development. A session titled “Turning Policy into Action,” will explore how national frameworks are evolving post-COP29, what integration of Article 6 looks like on the ground and how public-private collaboration can drive effective execution. Strong representation from across the continent and value chain bodes for an enlightening discussion, including the UNDP, Government of Nigeria, the South African Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment, Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and Uganda Climate Change Department.
The challenges with regards to integrity that carbon markets have faced will be tackled head-on during CMAS. Promethium’s Principal Climate Change Advisor Olivia Tuchten will lead the panel discussion around standards, verification and market oversight with experts from Verra, Gold Standard and Anthesis.
Financing Africa’s carbon pipeline
Day 2 of the packed CMAS programme features investor roundtables in a more intimate setting, aimed at “Connecting Climate Capital with Scalable Carbon Solutions,” during which a select group of carbon market investors and financiers can present their funds, strategies and investment opportunities to both potential capital partners and carbon project developers.
Keynote on investment
Day 2’s keynote session on “Financing Africa’s Carbon Pipeline: Derisking, Scaling and Innovating” will address both sides of the investment equation with participants from Shell Nature Based Solutions, Standard Bank, MIGA, AfDB and South Pole.
Jonathan First, Senior Advisor at Climate Policy Initiative will also unpack the question of how to mobilise private capital for Africa’s carbon markets with several financiers from TransEnergy Global, FSD Africa, the JSE and JP Morgan.
Pre-conference day
The CARBON 101 masterclass will provide investors, policymakers and developers with the necessary insights into the burgeoning business of carbon markets. The expert facilitators in this relatively new field will cover everything from international frameworks, African policy landscapes, credit integrity and investment fundamentals.
“Trust plays a key role”
As part of CMAS 2025’s mission to catalyse high-integrity, African-led carbon markets, Dominic Wilhelm, Executive Director of the Global Trust Project, will also lead a high-impact dialogue working session.
“While the current value of carbon markets as of 2023 is about $950 billion, within the next 10 years, it’s going to be worth $16 trillion,” says Wilhelm. “However, the full value chain of carbon markets is very fragmented, and it’s not transparent. Therefore, the full value chain needs to rapidly come together in a high-level dialogue, in which trust plays a key role to solve some of these challenges.”
VUKA Group
Carbon Markets Africa Summit is organised by VUKA Group, which has more than 20 years’ experience in serving the business community across Africa.
