October 2027
Africa’s carbon market: a $50-100bn+ opportunity by 2030 driven by high-integrity credits, sovereign trading, and rapidly scaling global demand.
What happened at CMAS 2026:
Africa’s carbon market is at a turning point. Voluntary markets are slowing due to integrity concerns, while compliance demand is rising but uneven. Africa also faces a growing climate finance gap and pressure to capture more value from its natural assets.
CMAS brings together governments, developers, investors and buyers to align policy, unlock finance, and enable deals – serving as Africa’s carbon marketplace for credible, high‑integrity execution.
CMAS focuses on what matters now:
Maxwell Gomera, Resident Representative and Director, Africa Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH), UNDP South Africa
CMAS will explore how Africa can leverage its vast natural resources for sustainable development while navigating geopolitical shifts and emerging carbon policies.
“Carbon Markets Africa Summit: Not just another carbon event”
Advance credible, high‑integrity carbon markets in Africa
Connect policy, projects, capital
and buyers
Build African capacity
and leadership in global carbon markets
Enable the development
and scaling of investable project pipelines
Mobilise capital and unlock transactions
Olufunso Somorin, Regional Principal Officer, Climate Change and Green
Growth Programme, African Development Bank
CMAS 2026 brought Africa’s carbon market community together for three days of insight, connection and market-building momentum.
From packed plenaries and practical workshops to project showcases, investor roundtables and conversations across the exhibition floor, CMAS created a dynamic meeting point for policymakers, project developers, investors, buyers and carbon market practitioners.
Across the programme, delegates explored the issues shaping the next phase of Africa’s carbon economy, including Article 6 implementation, climate finance, project bankability, market integrity, digital MRV, community participation, buyer demand and the development of credible, investment-ready carbon projects.
CMAS 2026 demonstrated the value of bringing policy, projects, capital and buyers into one room. The quality of the discussions, openness to collaboration and relationships built throughout the Summit reflected a market ready to move beyond ambition and readiness towards investment, transactions and measurable impact.
Thank you to every delegate, speaker, sponsor, exhibitor and partner who contributed to the energy, insight and success of CMAS 2026.
Driving outcomes for Africa’s carbon markets
Aligning policy, demand & capital to unlock execution
Plenary sessions on policy, demand, finance and market integrity
Keynote dialogues on scaling Africa’s carbon markets globally
Ministerial roundtable on Article 6 implementation & authorisations
Public-private roundtable with governments, buyers and financiers
High-impact dialogue hosted by The Global Trust Project
Turning readiness into pipelines, partnerships & deal flow
Investor & buyer roundtables (closed-door, curated participation)
Deal rooms and structured matchmaking meetings
15 project presentations showcasing best case studies and investment pipeline
MRV & digital infrastructure demos supporting scale and transparency
2 speed-dating sessions and targeted networking
Strengthening readiness for real market participation
Carbon 101: Foundational sessions covering the basics of carbon markets
Carbon Markets 201: moving from concept to execution
6 solution labs addressing key bottlenecks
Technical deep-dives on standards, integrity and compliance
Hands-on sessions designed for African project developers and policymakers
Aligning Policy. Activating Markets. Building Capacity
Unlocking Impact at Scale.
CMAS 2026 presents a curated pipeline of African carbon projects, climate solutions and digital market infrastructure spanning nature-based solutions, removals, regenerative agriculture, waste management, blue carbon and carbon technology. Projects and solutions are featured in different formats: from case studies and project showcases to investment-ready deal rooms and live technology demonstrations.
Kumesh Naidoo, Carbon Markets Lead at the Development Bank of
Southern Africa (DBSA)
CMAS focuses on pipelines, portfolios and transactions, not just concepts and frameworks.
Engage directly with policymakers, investors, buyers and market infrastructure leaders.
Understand what buyers want, where capital is flowing, and what market integrity requires.
Gain practical insight into how Article 6, authorisations and transactions are being executed on the ground.
CMAS positions Africa as a credible, scalable partner in global carbon markets.
CMAS 2026 brings Africa’s carbon markets onto the global stage, connecting projects, capital, buyers and policy to deliver credible pipelines and real transactions.
As a sponsor, gain direct proximity to market‑shaping decisions, investment‑ready projects and global demand, and position your organisation at the heart of Africa’s carbon market growth.”
Kwame Ababio, Head of the Environment and Climate Change Unit, AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa
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