PRE-CON: 21 Oct 2025
Day 1: 22 Oct 2025
Day 2: 23 Oct 2025


CARBON 101

Overview

Designed as a strategic primer, this pre-conference CARBON 101 offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to the architecture of carbon markets - from international frameworks and African policy landscapes to credit integrity and investment fundamentals.

Why carbon markets matter - and why Africa’s timing is critical
Gain a foundational understanding of global carbon markets and their evolving mechanisms: what they are, how they work — both voluntary and compliance. Explore the global architecture shaped by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and Africa’s emerging role in a system that’s rapidly evolving.
The African Policy & Regulatory Environment
Dive into how African governments are transforming climate commitments into carbon market policy. From NDC integration and domestic carbon pricing to national registries and South Africa’s pioneering carbon tax, this session highlights the frameworks enabling project development and private sector participation.
Carbon Credits as an Asset Class - Value, Risk & Revenue
Unpack how carbon credits are priced, valued, financed. Explore key investment risks, learn how revenue structures are built, and discover emerging financial tools — essential context for investors and developers.
What Makes a High-Integrity Credit? Standards, Safeguards & Social Impact
What does high integrity really mean in carbon markets—and for whom? This session unpacks the building blocks of a quality credit, including core principles like additionality, permanence, and robust MRV, but also looks beyond technical metrics.

We’ll explore how leading standards now embed social and environmental safeguards, ensure community inclusion, and address equity and benefit-sharing. With a spotlight on controversies and lessons learned, the session offers a balanced view of integrity that aligns both climate and justice goals.


High-Impact Dialogue

Overview

As part of CMAS 2025’s mission to catalyse high-integrity, African-led carbon markets, this High-Level Dialogue will convene a strategically diverse group of market actors to explore a defining question:

What must trustworthy carbon markets look like – and how can they be designed to deliver faster, fairer, and more verifiable impact?

Purpose: This is a working session – not a showcase.

• Map where trust breaks down across the carbon value chain
• Explore governance, inclusion, and verification challenges
• Prototype tools and frameworks that operationalise trust

Opening Frame
Why Trust? Why Now? Welcome and orientation
Panel Dialogue
Where Trust Is Won or Lost in Carbon Markets
System Mapping
Where Trust Must Be Restored
Prototyping Trust
What Could We Practically Do?
Collective Synthesis
Toward a Roadmap for Credible Carbon Markets
Closing Reflections & Next Steps
Final thoughts and commitments from participants


KEYNOTE OPENING SESSION - Scaling Carbon Markets for Africa’s Sustainable Growth Amid a Shifting Global Landscape

As the global carbon landscape evolves through shifting geopolitics, financial realignments, and rising integrity demands, Africa emerges as a strategic frontier — rich in natural assets, climate ambition, and untapped potential. The continent now has a 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.

WELCOME ADDRESS
Iain Banner, Chairman, Go Green Africa, South Africa
MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa*
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
• H.E. Moses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, The African Union Commission, Ethiopia*(invited)
• Fenella Aouane, Managing Director – Head of Carbon Pricing, Global Green Growth Institute, Luxembourg (V)
• Maxwell Gomera, Resident Representative of UNDP South Africa and Director of the Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, Africa Region, UNDP
FIRESIDE CHAT: Africa’s strategic role in global carbon markets amidst changing geopolitical and financial dynamics
Host: Javier Manzanares, CEO, Allen Manza, Panama

Guests:
• Caroline Tixier, Climate and Environmental Counsellor, European Union Delegation to South Africa
• Angela Churie Kallhauge, Executive Vice President – Impact, Environmental Defence Fund, USA
• Catiana Garcia-Kilroy, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank, USA* (invited)
PANEL DISCUSSION: Road to COP30: Aligning Africa’s Carbon Strategy with Global Agendas?
Moderator: Hirander Misra, Co-Founder and Chairman, GMEX Group and ZERO13, UK
• Is Africa’s carbon strategy aligned with global frameworks like Article 6?
• What role should the G20 play in Africa’s carbon market development?
• How can Africa ensure global standards reflect local realities?
• What partnerships are needed to scale investment and demand?
• How can Africa present a united front ahead of COP30?
Q&A
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS x 2


AFRICA’S CARBON MARKET FRAMEWORKS: TURNING POLICY INTO ACTION

AAs African countries move from climate ambition to implementation, regulatory clarity is becoming the cornerstone of carbon market development. This session explores how national frameworks are evolving postCOP29, what integration of Article 6 looks like on the ground, and how public-private collaboration can drive effective execution.

PANEL DISCUSSION
• What are Africa’s early leaders in carbon policy getting right - and what can others learn?
• How are countries turning Article 6 commitments into national policy and legal frameworks?
• What’s working in terms of national registries - and where are the gaps
• What’s next for South Africa’s Carbon Tax and how this could serve as a continental model?
• What will it take to operationalise post-COP29 standards within African regulatory systems?
DIALOGUE: Towards Harmonised Carbon Markets in Africa – A Regional Alliance Exchange
This unique dialogue between Africa’s leading regional carbon market alliances aims to surface a continental perspective on how Africa can align its carbon strategies, avoid fragmentation, and scale its influence in global carbon markets.
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS x 2


MARKETS SIGNALS & BUYERS TRENDS
With shifting global standards and rising demand, insight into buyer expectations is key to strategic positioning. This session unpacks what high integrity means in 2025, how post-COP29 dynamics are shaping purchasing decisions, and what trends are driving investment across sectors, standards, and credit types.

Carbon Markets in Motion – Key Signals from 2025
A 10-minute data-led overview of the latest demand, pricing, and integrity trends shaping global and African carbon credit markets.

PANEL DISCUSSION: Carbon Gold Rush? Navigating Demand, Pricing & Buyer Expectations
• What trends are shaping global and African carbon credit demand in 2025-2030?
• What does “high integrity” look like to a buyer in 2025?
• What’s hot in sectors, standards, and credit types - what are buyers really looking for in African credits?
• What’s driving pricing in African carbon markets - and what constitutes a fair price for African credits?

Q&A


FIRESIDE CHAT: Navigating CORSIA: Opportunities for Africa in the Global Aviation Market
• What role will CORSIA play in shaping demand for African credits?
• How can African airlines and governments effectively engage in CORSIA-aligned credit generation?
• What lessons can be drawn from early movers like Kenya Airways in navigating CORSIA frameworks?
• What opportunities exist for African project developers

PROJECT PRESENTATIONS x 2
MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE
The Ministerial Roundtable will serve as a unique platform for high-level African policymakers to exchange experiences, address common regulatory and technical challenges, and align positions on key issues – including engagement under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, regional market linkages, and standards harmonisation

This closed-door dialogue is designed to encourage candid discussion, strengthen political coordination, and foster regional leadership in shaping Africa’s carbon market future.
By invitation only


HIGH INTEGRITY IN PRACTICE – STANDARDS, VERIFICATION & MARKET TRUST

As integrity becomes the currency of carbon markets, questions around standards, verification, and local ownership are taking centre stage. This session explores the implications of evolving frameworks like Verra, Gold Standard, and Article 6.4, while addressing Africa’s capacity to build trusted, locally grounded systems for certification and market oversight.

PANEL DISCUSSION
• What recent shifts in global standards mean for African carbon projects
• How can verification bottlenecks be addressed through local capacity building?
• What’s needed to build high-integrity carbon markets in the African context?
• Should Africa build its own certification and registry ecosystem - and if so, how?
Q&A


Welcome Drinks



INVESTOR ROUNDTABLES CONNECTING CLIMATE CAPITAL WITH SCALABLE CARBON SOLUTIONS

The Investor Roundtables aim to create a focused and dynamic setting where 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. This unique format facilitates dual engagement - fostering collaboration among investors while offering developers practical insights into accessing finance. The goal: to accelerate the flow of capital into Africa’s carbon pipeline and support the scale-up of high-integrity, investable climate solutions.

Seats are limited


FINANCING AFRICA’S CARBON PIPELINE – DE-RISKING, SCALING & INNOVATING

From designing investment-ready projects to attracting private capital and managing long-term revenue risks, this finance track addresses both sides of the investment equation. Through two focused discussions, we explore how Africa can build a pipeline of high-integrity carbon projects that meet investor expectations — and how global and regional financiers are preparing to deploy capital at scale.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Dorah Modise, Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
PANEL DISCUSSION: Building Bankable Carbon Projects
A deep dive into what it takes to build carbon projects that financiers trust - from risk management and guarantees to blended finance and structuring revenue streams for bankability.
• What does investor-ready actually mean in carbon markets?
• How can carbon finance be de-risked to unlock investment?
• Is carbon revenue bankable? Lessons from off-take deals, insurance, and guarantees
• How can blended finance unlock early-stage carbon projects in Africa?
Q&A
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS x 2


PANEL DISCUSSION: Mobilising Private Capital for Africa’s Carbon Markets
An inside view from major investors and financiers on when and how serious private capital will scale in Africa’s carbon markets: what drives decisions, where risks lie, and how scalable investment models are evolving.
• What do investors need before backing carbon projects?
• Which structures are enabling large-scale capital flows?
• How are risk and return evaluated in today’s market?
• When will serious private capital enter at scale?
Q&A
PROJECT PRESENTATIONS x 2


Breakaway

Breakaway 1
WORKSHOP 1 – Building Investment-Ready Carbon Projects

What makes a carbon project investable?
This workshop unpacks what it truly means to be “investor-ready” in today’s carbon markets. Through practical insights from developers and financiers, participants will explore financial structuring, risk allocation, and the building blocks of credible, fundable carbon project models.
• Designing bankable carbon project models
• Risk-return expectations and common pitfalls
• Insights from investors, project developers

This session is designed for carbon project developers and technical advisors seeking to attract investment, as well as climate-focused investors and DFIs looking to engage with early-stage pipelines.

WORKSHOP 3 – Demystifying Carbon Project Certification

What developers need to know to get certified.
Long timelines, limited local verification bodies, and unclear certification pathways are slowing down Africa’s ability to meet growing global demand for high-integrity carbon credits.

Through practical insights and real-world case studies, this session breaks down the project cycle, validation requirements, and verification processes. Experts will clarify how to work with standards bodies and avoid common bottlenecks in carbon credit issuance.
• Step-by-step of certification & MRV
• How to choose and apply the right methodology
• Working effectively with verifiers and standard-setting bodies
• Common bottlenecks and how to avoid them
• Tools and strategies to accelerate timelines and reduce costs

Breakaway 2
WORKSHOP 2 - How African Companies Can Enter the Carbon Market

Carbon markets are opening new frontiers for African companies.
This session guides African corporates and SMEs through the strategic and operational steps needed to engage in carbon markets. Learn how to assess opportunity, build internal capacity, and identify viable market entry points.
• Where are the entry points for African corporates in carbon markets?
• How to align your business model with carbon revenue streams
• From buyer to developer: what roles can companies play across the value chain?
• Examples of African businesses leading in carbon market engagement

WORKSHOP 4 - Building Domestic Voluntary Carbon Markets

What it takes to design credible, investable voluntary carbon markets at the national level.
As African countries look to raise carbon finance from voluntary carbon markets to support priority infrastructure development, this workshop explores key aspects of the market and in particular the demand and supply sides anchored in national programs. Drawing from work done on the models like South Africa’s, the session will unpack practical steps to establish market ecosystems, ensure alignment with global standards, and the alignment required among investors and stakeholders. Through work done to date, participants will be able to understand the core building blocks of a viable domestic carbon market.
• Demand and Supply sides
• How this interacts with Article 6 and Carbon taxes
• Domestic registries and MRV systems
• Aligning with international standards while enabling local participation
• Case study



SECTOR-FOCUSED DIALOGUE

Energy & Cookstoves
Clean energy access and efficient cookstove technologies are among Africa’s most scalable climate solutions — and carbon finance has played a critical role in driving their expansion. This dialogue convenes manufacturers, financiers, project developers, regulators, and distributors to explore the evolving standards, market trends, and impact metrics shaping the future of energy-access carbon credits.

A dialogue at the intersection of clean energy, climate finance, health, and inclusive development.
Blue Carbon & Coastal Ecosystems
Africa’s vast coastline holds untapped potential for carbon sequestration through mangroves, seagrasses, and marine ecosystems. This dialogue explores the emerging science, governance models, and investment approaches for blue carbon — from pilot projects to national strategies. It aims to bridge conservation, community stewardship, and carbon finance to unlock scalable coastal climate action.

Engaging coastal governments, conservation finance experts, blue carbon project developers, marine scientists, and policy leaders working to scale Africa’s ocean-based climate solutions.

Nature-based solutions & AFOLU
From conservation and agroforestry to regenerative agriculture and landscape restoration, this dialogue brings together the full AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use) ecosystem to explore carbon methodologies, investment models, policy frameworks, and the role of communities in delivering high-integrity, land-based carbon outcomes.

Featuring voices from project developers, Indigenous and local actors, investors, standard bodies, and government agencies in land use and environment.
Urban Carbon & Circular Economy
Cities are on the frontlines of climate action — and carbon markets are beginning to recognise the value of urban interventions in transport, buildings, waste, and circular economy models. This session convenes city leaders, technology providers, project developers, and financiers to explore how carbon finance can accelerate low-carbon urban transformation and inclusive service delivery.

A conversation on turning urban systems into engines of low-carbon growth and circular innovation.


CLOSING SESSION - Recommendations for COP30

What should Africa take to the COP30 table? This forward-looking session distills collective insights from the Summit into strategic recommendations to inform the continent’s engagement in global carbon market negotiations and climate finance discussions.