Deep dives into carbon policy, investment & innovation

Explore the agenda driving Africa’s carbon markets forward.

2026 Programme at a glance

Programme teaser

Pick a day. See what’s inside.

Tuesday 13 October — Foundation & Dialogue Day

Three parallel tracks running morning to afternoon: Carbon 101, Carbon 201, and the invitation-only High-Level Dialogue. The day closes with Carbon Markets Speed Dating and Ice-Breaker Drinks.

13 Oct · Morning & Afternoon Carbon 101

From climate problem to carbon opportunity

Session 1 From climate problem to carbon opportunity – Why markets exist and how they turn emissions into economic value.
Session 2 Inside the carbon market: who trades, who buys, who wins – Compliance vs voluntary systems, key participants.
Session 3 From idea to credit: how projects generate tradable carbon value – What happens on the ground, and how projects generate tradable carbon value
Session 4 What makes a credit real (and valuable)? – Understanding quality, verification, and why some credits command a premium
Session 5 The rules of the game: Article 6 and Africa’s market access – Who approves what, and how policy determines trade.
Session 6 From credits to capital: turning projects into investment deals – Offtake agreements, risk allocation, private capital.

Facilitators

Bernardin UzayisabaCarbon Market Programme Specialist, UNDP, South Africa
Andrew GilderDirector, Climate Legal, South Africa
Olivia TuchtenPrincipal Climate Change Advisor, Promethium Carbon
Edwin CoghoCarbon Portfolio Head, TASC, South Africa
Olufunso SomorinCarbon Markets Coordinator, African Development Bank

13 Oct · Morning & Afternoon Carbon 201

Advanced market mechanics to bankable deals

Opening Session Carbon 201 Opening: How the market works today – Market structure, key actors, evolving demand across voluntary and compliance markets.
Session Article 6 & CORSIA from policy to transaction – Hands-on exercises tracing policy frameworks to executed deals.
Workshop Voluntary demand, pricing and offtake reality – Who is buying, what they pay, and the commercial terms underpinning agreements.
Case study session High-quality MRV & ratings in practice – Deep dive into a high-quality project from MRV through to certification.
Workshop Making projects insurable and investable – Structure carbon projects to meet investor requirements and unlock capital.
Session From Project to Deal – Inside a real carbon transaction from issued credits to a closed deal.

Experts

Faustin MunyazikwiyeDeputy Director General, REMA, Rwanda
Bianca GichangiManaging Partner, Nuera Climate, Kenya
Lawrence Cole-MorganGlobal Markets Lead, Carbon Credit Trading, Standard Bank
James MansfieldManaging Director, Finance Earth, UK
Lilian KaruikiRegional Lead Africa, Open Forest Protocol, Kenya

13 Oct · Full Day · Closed Door High-Level Dialogue

Trust, Investment & Scale in African Carbon Markets

Focus Question What must now happen for African carbon markets to become trusted, investable and scalable?
Format Closed-door, action-oriented working session under TGTP Trust Protocols. Designed to surface real system tensions and co-create a practical pathway forward.
Agenda System mapping → Panel exchange on market signals, governance & finance → Pathway building → Collective synthesis of priority conditions.

Presented by

Dominic WilhelmExecutive Director, The Global Trust Project, South Africa

End of Day · All tracks CARBON MARKETS SPEED DATING

End the day with a dynamic, open networking session designed to maximise connections ahead of the Summit. In a “speed dating” format, participants move freely between standing pods to meet investors, buyers, governments, and project developers for fast, direct exchanges. A unique chance to spark the right conversations and unlock new opportunities from day one!

Wednesday 14 October — Summit Day 1

Investor & Buyer Roundtables open the day, followed by the Keynote, project showcases, policy case studies, the Ministerial Roundtable, Deal Room 1 and the Capital Flows plenary. Ends with Welcome Drinks.

14 Oct · 08:00 – 17:30 Opening + Main Track

Keynote Opening + Market Signals, Policy in Practice &

Keynote Opening Session· 08:50 Africa’s carbon markets on the global stage: Delivering projects, capital and impactful transactions at scale
Data-led Presentation · 11:05 Market Signals & Future Outlook — demand trends, price dynamics, quality differentiation and what markets could look like by 2050.
Case Studies · 11:20 Policy in Practice: Who is Ready & Who is Scaling? — country spotlights from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda.
Dialogue · 12:20 Towards Continental Alignment — East, West and Southern Africa alliances and the African Union on avoiding fragmentation.
Panel · 14:30 What Buyers Actually Want — corporate, bilateral and compliance buyers on what they buy, reject and why.
Plenary · 16:30 Capital Flows: The What & Why — investors unpack risk-return expectations, sector preferences and where gaps still lie.

Keynote Speakers

Hon. Bernadette ArakwiyeMinister of Environment, Rwanda
H.E. Ali D. MohamedSpecial Envoy for Climate Change, Kenya
Estherine Lisinge FotabongDirector, Agriculture & Environment, AUDA-NEPAD
Anthony NyongDirector, Climate Change, African Development Bank

14 Oct · 10:15 – 16:30 Projects

Project Presentations

Project Presentations · 10:15 Blue Carbon showcase: West Africa Blue and Besalampy Mangrove projects.
Project Presentations · 12:50 Manankazo Reforestation (Madagascar) and AgriCarbon (South Africa) showcase their pipelines.
Showcase · 15:30 Carbon Projects Success Stories — Sistema.bio and Sanergy Composting spotlight delivery and scalable success.
Deal Room 1 · 16:00 (parallel) North Swaka Trust REDD+, Regen Organics and GROW Rwanda pitch directly to investors and buyers.

Speakers

Ivan Lecat, PMO Alterra, Madagascar
Joseph de Craecker, Project Management Officer, Alterra, Madagascar
Ed Agnew , Director (Global Carbon Partnerships), Kenya
Haroon Dawood, Director of Carbon Projects, Circular Impact, Kenya

14 Oct · 13:10 – 17:30 Roundtables

Ministerial, Buyer and Investors Roundtables

Roundtable · 08:00 Investor & Buyer Roundtables — closed-door engagement
Ministerial Roundtable · 12:50 (parallel) Closed-door: high-level African policymakers align on Article 6 engagement, regional market linkages and standards harmonisation.

Thursday 15 October — Summit Day 2

Investor & Buyer Roundtables, the High-Integrity Opening Debate, Project Presentations, Live Tech Demos, the Public–Private Roundtable, Deal Room 2 and six Solution Labs running in parallel. Closes with Speed Dating 2 and the Closing Session.

15 Oct · 08:00 – 10:20 Opening

Investor Roundtables, High-Integrity Debate & Project Presentations

Roundtable · 08:00 Investor & Buyer Roundtables — closed-door engagement to start the day.
Opening Debate · 08:55 The “High-Integrity” Opening Debate — standards bodies, ratings agencies, buyers and developers confront fragmentation around what high integrity really means.
Fireside Chat · 09:40 Beyond Benefit-Sharing: Rethinking Community Roles — communities as owners and active market players, not just beneficiaries.
Project Presentations · 10:00 GRASS (South Africa) and Perivoli Rangeland Restoration (Namibia) showcase their pipelines.

Speakers

Mandy RambharosChief Executive Officer, Verra, USA
Lorna RitchiePolicy Director, ICVCM, United Kingdom
Sandeep Roy ChoudhuryCo-Founder, VNV – Value Network Ventures, India
Daisy NielsenCOO, Perivoli Rangeland Institute, Namibia

15 Oct · 10:20 – 13:00 (parallel) Live Tech + Deal Room 2 + Public–Private

Live Tech Demos, Deal Room 2 & Public–Private Roundtable

Live Tech Demos · 10:20 MRV & Digital Carbon Solutions in Practice — Acre Insights and EcoWise demonstrate locally built digital verification tools.
Deal Room 2 · 11:00 (parallel) Western Block Agroforestry, Gashaka Gumti Forest Carbon and Tamba Restoration pitch for capital and off-take agreements.
Public–Private Roundtable · 10:00 (parallel) Confidential senior-level roundtable: governments, investors, buyers, DFIs and market enablers align on priorities and coordinated actions to scale Africa’s carbon markets.

Presenters

Margaret ChepkiruiCo-Founder, Acre Insights, Kenya
Deborah FadeyiMember Board of Directors, Vectar, Nigeria
Tessa MacnadSenior Investment Partner, Removall Carbon, Senegal

15 Oct · 11:45 – 16:15 Solution Labs

Six Solution Labs — choose your track

Lab 1 · 11:45 Unlocking Early-Stage Carbon Finance — pre-financing, offtake agreements, blended finance and new partnership structures.
Lab 2 · 11:45 Navigating Global Regulatory Shifts — implications of Article 6, CORSIA and evolving compliance frameworks for African projects.
Lab 3 · 14:15 De-Risking Private Capital at Scale — key risks, allocation and mitigation with investors, insurers and practitioners.
Lab 4 · 14:15 Authorisation in Practice: From LoA to Market Access — streamlining country authorisation processes to faster, more predictable transactions.
Lab 5 · 15:15 Registries Interoperability & Market Infrastructure — practical pathways to improve interoperability and support transaction-ready markets.
Lab 6 · 15:15 Scaling MRV and VVB Capacity in Africa — building local verification ecosystems to reduce costs and accelerate timelines.

Key contributors include

Charlie PoolHead of Carbon Advisory, Howden, UK
Kyoo-Won OhSenior Underwriter, Carbon Finance Lead, MIGA, USA
Felix Mechnig-GiordanoCEO, Terraviva, Zimbabwe
Katharina MengedeHead of Digital Economy, GIZ, Kenya
Storm PatelCommercial Director, TASC, South Africa

View the live 2026 Programme

View Live fULL Programme

2026 Advisory Board

Advisory Board Member

Key themes:

Policy & Article 6
From frameworks to authorisations

Market integrity & MRV
Credibility, standards and trust

Demand & market signals
Ensuring credibility, trust, and transparency in Africa’s carbon landscape.

Finance & risk solutions
Offtake, blended finance, de-risking

Projects → pipelines
Scaling supply at portfolio level

Impact beyond carbon
Biodiversity and development outcomes

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