Africa's Carbon Markets: Who Decides Project Ownership, Verification, and Benefit-Sharing?
miningweekly.comA carbon credit's value is shaped long before it reaches a buyer. Decisions about project ownership, finance, data, verification, and benefit-sharing determine who participates and who benefits. As new regulations and international partnerships expand market access across Africa, these questions are becoming urgent. The Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2026, set for October 13-15 in Kigali, will bring together governments, developers, investors, and technical experts to address them. East Africa offers a concrete example: Rwanda and Singapore opened applications for carbon-credit projects under their Article 6-aligned bilateral agreement. Authorized projects can offset up to 5% of Singapore-based companies' taxable emissions. Meanwhile, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa are tightening regulatory oversight and modernizing their carbon-credit ecosystems. The summit will also examine cases like the Chinko Conservation Area in the Central African Republic, where carbon revenue funds community-selected initiatives, highlighting how governance and benefit-sharing determine whether carbon finance delivers lasting value.