Kigali, Rwanda — The Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) has officially launched its 2026 programme, marking a significant milestone in Africa’s carbon market evolution. Scheduled for October 13-15, 2026, the summit will be hosted by the Rwandan Ministry of Environment, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and AUDA-NEPAD.
The CMAS 2026 programme is a testament to Africa’s growing significance in the global carbon market landscape. It reflects the continent’s transition from policy frameworks to practical execution, investment, and transactions. This shift is underscored by the increasing investment-readiness of carbon market projects, driven by improved policy certainty and a surge in investment opportunities.
The summit aims to foster a structured environment where policy, project pipelines, capital, and buyers can converge, facilitating real deal flow. It will focus on integrity, quality, and transaction readiness, which are becoming decisive factors in the evolving market dynamics. Emmanuelle Nicholls, Project Lead, emphasized the selective and operational phase carbon markets are entering. “.
The question is no longer whether Africa has a role to play, but whether the continent can bring forward credible projects, enabling frameworks, and market infrastructure to transact at scale, “she.
The programme will cover the full carbon market value chain, from policy and Article 6 implementation to project development, finance, and transactions. Key highlights include sessions on delivering projects and transactions at scale, high-level dialogues on trust and market readiness, and ministerial and technical roundtables.
A curated pipeline of African carbon projects will be showcased, including nature — based solutions, regenerative agriculture, carbon removals, waste-to-value, and blue carbon. Solution labs and technical workshops will address critical bottlenecks, such as Article 6 and CORSIA implementation, early-stage finance, MRV systems, and project bankability. Rwanda’s commitment to advancing carbon market frameworks under Article 6 is evident in its National Carbon Market Framework, launched during COP28.
The country aims to be climate resilient and carbon neutral by 2050, a vision that resonates across the continent.
The CMAS 2026 programme is expected to outline strategies for Africa’s carbon markets to move beyond frameworks into execution, investment, and transactions. This shift is crucial for both Africa and the global fight against climate change, as the continent positions itself as a pivotal player in the global climate change narrative.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: africa
Source: SG Editor
