Grassland Restoration and Stewardship in South Africa (GRASS) Project – South Africa

Andrew Gilder Director, Climate Legal, South Africa

Livestock farming spans 34 million hectares in South Africa yet challenges faced by farmers range from the spread of inedible, alien invasive plants, poor grazing management, proliferation of ticks and other pests, social pressure, and a lack of resources. However, TASC’s Grassland Restoration and Stewardship in South Africa (GRASS) project is regenerating grasslands through the implementation of adaptive livestock and land management. By working directly with farmers in both communal and commercial landscapes, we’ve been able to place over 600,000 hectares under regenerative management.

Akwaaba Project – Ghana

Herman Neethling General Manager, Shell Nature Based Solutions Europe, Middle East and Africa, UK

The project is a grouped project that aims to restore approximately 100,000 ha in degraded Forest Reserves in Ghana. The project aims to achieve the sustainable restoration of highly degraded reserve areas through diversified mixed-species plantings that re-establish native flora and fauna, enhance ecological connectivity, and mitigate the adverse effects of deforestation. Central to this endeavour is the goal of ecosystem restoration, achieved with best-practice planting methods to maximise the survival and growth of indigenous species mixes, using species that are carefully selected to re-create natural forest structure. The Climate, Community, and Biodiversity goals of the project are to re-establish and protect natural forest landscapes, recovering threatened biodiversity in a globally important conservation hotspot, sequestering CO2 and improving the provision of ecosystem services including water regulation, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation.

The project aims to achieve the sustainable restoration of highly degraded reserve areas through diversified mixed-species plantings that re-establish native flora and fauna, enhance ecological connectivity, and mitigate the adverse effects of deforestation. Central to this endeavour is the goal of ecosystem restoration, achieved with best-practice planting methods to maximise the survival and growth of indigenous species mixes, using species that are carefully selected to re-create natural forest structure. The Climate, Community, and Biodiversity goals of the project are to re-establish and protect natural forest landscapes, recovering threatened biodiversity in a globally important conservation hotspot, sequestering CO2 and improving the provision of ecosystem services including water regulation, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation.

Mafisa Zambia

Wouter Drinkwaard Business Development Manager, Shell, Netherlands

Charlotte Scott CEO, Mafisa, Zambia

The Mafisa Livestock Grazing Carbon Project, led by Zambian NGO Mafisa, is a transformative initiative in southwestern Zambia that combines climate action with community empowerment. Through improved rotational grazing and fire management across around 1 million hectares, the project aims to restore degraded rangelands, enhance biodiversity, and sequester over 24 million tonnes of CO₂e by 2063.

Crucially, the project will deliver substantial livelihood benefits across 118 communities. Carbon investment fund free animal health services for cattle farmers—boosting herd productivity and reducing mortality—and improved access to market via new cattle buying centres. Over 470 boreholes will be drilled providing access to water, to enable rotational grazing practices and support small-scale agricultural activities. The project also strengthens climate resilience by increasing forage availability during droughts and reducing disease risks through better land and water management. Non-cattle owners, in particularly women, are supported by alternative income-generating activities. These include drought-resilient crops, small livestock initiatives.

With deep community engagement and traditional leadership support, Mafisa revives indigenous practices while building sustainable, inclusive rural economies. This model not only mitigates climate change but also uplifts some of Zambia’s most vulnerable communities, with around 100,000 people, including 50,000 women, expecting to experience improved incomes and well-being.

PRO GREEN EARTH

Renier van Vuuren CEO, Pro Green Earth & co-founder and Managing Director, Impuls Africa, Zambia

Lucy Pieterse Chief Technical Officer, Progreen Earth, Zambia

Short project summary: Implemented by Pro Green Earth, the Barotse Rangelands for Restoration Project (BR4RP) aims to drive systemic change by fostering regenerative livelihoods within Zambia's Western Province. Through implementing improved livestock production and rangeland management programs across 1.2 million hectares, BR4RP will enhance ecosystem biodiversity in the Barotse floodplains, generate significant livelihoods benefits for tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, facilitating climate change resilience for landscapes and food systems.

1. Project lifecycle stage - Under Development. Expected PDD validation in February 2026.
2. Value proposition - Anticipated increase in smallholder farmer incomes of >$3m/year; Innovative benefit sharing mechanism with provincial-focused agricultural social enterprise; improved fire and rangeland management within a unique geographical and cultural landscape, in close collaboration with the traditional leadership, the Barotse Royal Establishment.
3. Expected price and volume of credits per annum - Removals target of 30m tonnes of Co2e over 40 years; high-integrity pricing, Article 6-aligned
4. Anticipated project costs - $10.2 million ($7.5m of which are direct community benefits) for initial instance covering 200,000 hectares over 4 years
5. Funding gap (Ask) - ~$10 million
6. Type of finance required - a combination of pre-sales, debt, equity, grants. Open for discussion.

Trees for the Future’s (TREES) Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry Carbon Project

Tim McLellan, CEO, Trees for the Future

Mercy Karunditu, Country Director, Trees for the Future Kenya

Trees for the Future’s (TREES) Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry Carbon Project is a sustainable agroforestry project implemented with smallholder farmers in counties adjacent to the lake in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Started in 2020 in Kenya, the three projects are being rolled out in different phases by country and by instance. They are anticipated to cover at least 300,000 hectares working with more than 350,000 farming families across the region.

Using VERRA’s VCS with CCB standards, these projects work with smallholder farmers farming on less than 2 hectares to develop agroforestry projects that sustainability improve the productivity of their land and provide multi-benefits, including benefit share of the monitored and verified VCUs.

Farmers are trained to implement agroforestry practices that transform their conventional agriculture land into diverse nature-based carbon sinks with above and below ground biomass and improved soils. Throughout this region, cropland is under low yield cultivation of grain crops. In addition to creating VCUs, the sustainable agroforestry techniques and extension services provided to farmers ensure diversification of cropping systems, including horticulture crops and fruit and fodder trees. Further, the project will improve nutrition, increase income and resilience, develop the sustainable growing capability of the land, and enhance biodiversity in this critical watershed.

More information at: https://trees.org/lake-victoria-carbon/

For Investor Community -
1.Project lifecycle stages
2.Kenya – Under Validation (VM0042) Verra Project # 4408
3.Uganda – Under Development (VM0047) Verra Project #5483
4.Tanzania – Pre-Feasibility

Representatives from the TREES team in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as well as TREES’ CEO Tim McLellan will be at the Summit and happy to discuss value propositions, expected prices and volumes, project costs, and finance needs. Conversations can be set up ahead of time by emailing carbon@trees.org

Trees for the Future’s (TREES) Lake Victoria Watershed Agroforestry Carbon Project

Olu Ademuwagun, Chief Executive Officer, Noblesse Green Energy, Nigeria

The ambitious goals of the AFRP encompass the restoration of over 23,000 hectares of native forest. This initiative aims to capture and sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with a focus on enhancing biodiversity, protecting local wildlife habitats, and promoting sustainable land-use practices. Notably, the project emphasises community engagement by actively involving residents in reforestation, thereby creating jobs, supporting livelihoods, and fostering a sense of stewardship towards the environment.

Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project (Tanzania)

Brian Adkins, CEO, Eden: People+Planet, Kenya

A short paragraph describing your project (for use on our platforms)
Compassionate Carbon's Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project represents landscape restoration at transformative scale, protecting 260,900 hectares of Tanzania's Eastern Arc Mountains—a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot—while restoring 10,000 hectares of degraded forest. This 40-year initiative addresses deforestation by partnering with community members across 40 villages and the Tanzania Forest Service to implement community-based forest management and sustainable livelihood activities, joining with local and international partners for social and biodiversity monitoring and activity implementation. The Rubeho Project safeguards critical water resources for over 7.5 million people while protecting ancient montane forests that harbor endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Utilizing carbon finance, the project will generate sustainable funding that ensures lasting benefits for both communities and ecosystems.

1.Project lifecycle stage — PD drafting, first year implementation, pre-validation/verification
2.Value proposition
a.High quality credits: Estimated 14M VCUs available through 2066 for offtake or project investment, both REDD+ and ARR, certified by CCB. Open to equity investments in a project-specific SPV
b.Core benefits beyond carbon: Water security for 7.5 million people (material ESG impact), Endemic biodiversity protection in a global hotspot, Sustainable livelihoods for nearly 100,000 community members
c.Investment Security: Compassionate Carbon bringing 20+ years of project development experience in community-based restoration globally, Community ownership creating long-term protection incentives, Landscape-scale approach reducing leakage risks, Team looking into insurance models to protect project investments and community members

3.Expected price and volume of credits per annum -- Anticipating 3-year verification cycles, with ~5.3M VCUs generated by 2043 and the remaining ~9M VCUs to be issued from 2043-2066.
a.The total volume of credits includes 9,987,712 REDD+ credits and 4,158,650 ARR credits over 40 years
b.The project financial model uses MSCI price curves with 2025 REDD/ARR indices for Sub-Saharan Africa. A full financial model can be provided upon request

4.Anticipated project costs
a.Total project expenses over 40 years are projected to be $148M.
b.Of this amount, expenses are incurred by the following:
- Compassionate Carbon expenses = $63M
- Tanzania Forest Service expenses (to be refined) = $27.3M (Row 119 of "Credit Allocation v1” Sheet)
- Village expenses (to be refined) = $58M (Row 124 of "Credit Allocation v1” Sheet)

5.Funding gap (Ask) a.Project maximum cashflow deficit is ~10M. The project can provide credits for investment, or indicative IRR for traditional investment is 16.88%. 6.Type of finance required a.Open to equity and forward purchase

Papariko Blue Carbon Project – Kenya

Robin Bartmann, Chief Operations Officer, Vlinder, Kenya

Papariko is Kenya’s first blue carbon project certified under Verra’s VCS, CCB, and SD VISta standards and the only mangrove project globally with this level of certification — setting a national and global precedent for integrated climate, community, and biodiversity impact.

Papariko exemplifies a new model of regenerative development where communities are the stewards and co-beneficiaries of environmental restoration.

• Implementation Phase – over 250 ha planted, expansion up to 3,000 ha possible in Kwale, Tana River, and Kilifi
• Investor for first 350 ha secured and funding deployed
• Currently 1,120 ha open for investment

• First project in Kenya with triple certification (VCS + CCB + SD VISta)
• High-integrity credits with measurable co-benefits aligned to SDGs
• Transparent carbon revenue sharing (25% gross, 40% net to local communities)
• Strong gender and youth inclusion (70% women employed)
• Tech-enabled monitoring using drones, eDNA, and digital tracking

• Total cost: USD 13 million
• CAPEX: USD 3.07 million
• OPEX (over 40 years - dependent on deal structure covered by Vlinder carbon share): USD 9.92 million

• Total Funding Gap: USD 6.7 million (USD 3.7 million in first 5 years)
• Investment + Stream (20 years): 251,114 credits @ USD 27/tCO₂ → Prepayment USD 6.7m, IRR 13.5%
• Prepay + Stream (15 years): 113,452 credits @ USD 45/tCO₂ → Prepayment USD 3.06m, NPV USD 5.5m
• Offtake + Debt Financing (15 years): 158,833 credits @ USD 63.7/tCO₂ → NPV USD 3.78m

• Project Equity Investment
• Debt Financing
• Offtake with Prepayment
• Offtake

Udongo Mzuri Biochar Carbon – Kenya

Fidoh Kens Ochieng, CEO, WICCARE Africa, Kenya

Isaac Bosire, Environmental Expert, WICCARE Africa, Kenya

Now at the implementation stage, the project has already secured 2 acres of land where construction and installation of the machines is underway, imported specialized carbonization equipment which is already on site, and obtained all permits and environmental approvals. It is backed by a six-year biochar CORC offtake agreement, ensuring stable revenues from verified biochar carbon credits. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding with Migori County Government ensures the distribution of biochar-based compost to local farmers, thereby embedding the project directly into agricultural systems.

This high-integrity carbon removal project operates in Migori County, Kenya, and integrates advanced biochar technology with local circular economies. The initiative will generate durable carbon removal credits while delivering transformative co-benefits:
• Agronomic Impact: Biochar improves soil fertility, increases yields, and enhances water retention for smallholder farmers.
• Social Enterprise Model: We commit 5% of profits to local NGOs and CBOs, ensuring community benefit sharing.
• Transparent carbon revenue sharing (25% gross, 40% net to local communities)
• Strong gender and youth inclusion (70% women employed)
• Tech-enabled monitoring using drones, eDNA, and digital tracking

Expected Price and Volume of Credits per Annum
Based on our projections, we estimate 400,000 tonnes of uncommitted CORCs will be available between 2026 and 2035 from six future hubs across the region. These hubs will process a diverse range of waste feedstock streams, including invasive water hyacinths - known for disrupting local aquatic ecosystems, alongside agricultural residues such as rice husks, maize stalks, banana peels, and sisal fibers. We are open to pre-financing discussions for this uncommitted tonnage.

We seek carbon prefinancing for:
• Hub 2 only: $ 1.5 million• Hub 2 & 3: $ 3 million
  Note: We are not soliciting equity investment in WICCARE Head Company.

• Loan secured against existing offtake agreements as collateral, or
• Pre-financing against uncommitted future CORC production.

Earthbond

Chidalu Onyenso, Founder & CEO, Earthbond, Nigeria

Lagos has around 4.7 million gensets, which emit an estimated 39 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The reliance on gensets for electricity due to insufficient grid availability leads to health issues and costs Nigerians ₦7.6 trillion on fuel and maintenance. The average small to medium business spends ~₦50,000-400,000 per month just on fuel. This is not just an energy crisis. It is a missed opportunity for economic growth, environmental sustainability, and global leadership. Earthbond, a climate tech start-up based in Lagos, is implementing a distributed solar project in Nigeria to reduce reliance on expensive and polluting gensets. Earthbond provides a digital one-stop-shop which removes the complexity and cost for over 45 million African businesses who need to switch to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. As well as the economic and health benefits, solar installations and the displacement of gensets will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions. The technology includes solar PV systems which are suitable for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). The project aims to reach thousands of businesses across Nigeria and will last for 15 years. The Earthbond Distributed Solar project will create significant economic, social and environmental impact by reducing the costs associated with electricity supply, remove exposure to smoke and carbon monoxide, and reduce CO2 emissions.

1. Project lifecycle stage: Implementation (250kWp deployed, 15MW target over 3 years)
2. Value proposition: First women-led project in Nigeria with a focus on powering education, food systems and healthcare for communities in high demand. Our systems are provided with low-cost financing coupled with carbon-based rebates so that we can offer high quality systems that can actually fuel productivity allowing users to save more and make more with solar. We are offering high-integrity credits with co-benefits aligned to SDG 4,8,7,11, and 13. We share carbon revenues across the entire ecosystem back to installers, technicians, and the community. 80% of our leadership team are women, 40% of our entire team is women. We have end-to-end IoT-enabled monitoring.
3. Expected price and volume of credits per annum (24000 tonnes/annum @ $15/ton)
4. Anticipated project costs: $15M
5. Funding gap (Ask): $5M (Bank partnerships offer us 10M in local currency debt financing but we need to close and crowd in the gap)
6. Type of finance required: Debt, Equity, Purchase Agreements

Off-Grid Africa

Toni Heigl, Founder & CEO,CarbonWise Consulting

Project Types:
• Renewable Energy (Solar PV + BESS)
• Controlled Atmosphere (CA) cold storage incl. Solar PV and Post-Harvest Loss Reduction
Dimensions / Credit Volume:
• Total investment amounts (per program) are in the >100m USD range.
• Each program will deliver >>500.000 Article 6 credits (t CO2) over project lifetime.
Project status:
• Idea Notes, project feasibility studies and calculations are ready. Alignment with host and buyer countries in progress. Carbon finance partners are being acquired later in the year

GIZ Botswana and SADC

Atang Masilomagwe, Technical Advisor, CooPSA, GIZ, Botswana

Taboka Motlhabane, Project Manager and Technical Advisor, PDP and CooPSA, GIZ, Botswana

The Cooling Program for Southern Africa (CooPSA) promotes the achievement of the targets of the Paris Agreement (PA) and the Montreal Protocol including its Kigali Amendment. Within this project, partner countries will be advised on carbon financing mechanisms according to Art. 6 of the PA. A carbon premium will be calculated based on the GHG savings from the reduction of indirect emissions from electricity generation and direct emissions from the avoidance of enormously climate-damaging F-gases.

The project aims to prepare framework conditions of an AC market introduction programme in Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa and make it operational by the end of the project: Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) as well as energy labels for ACs will be developed and established, an AC market introduction programme introducing natural refrigerants will be operational and a sustainable financing instrument will be implemented, which considers carbon finance provided under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

The successful implementation of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) funded programme in four partner countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini) would provide significant co-benefits such as the creation of new skilled jobs. The market penetration of natural refrigerants in developing and emerging countries would be facilitated. The successful, practical application of the Art. 6.2 Cooperative Approaches mechanism would demonstrate the use of market-based carbon finance as an effective tool to increase the ambition of NDC targets of developing countries and countries in transition.

Biomass Conversion Technology project – South Africa

Musa Msimango, Co-CEO, Phambili Energy, South Africa

Phambili Energy (Pty) Ltd, a South African based company, is a producer of renewable energy, biochar-based/wood vinegar-based fertilisers, crop bio stimulants, and animal food, and carbon pellets used for smelter decarbonisation purposes and where ash and other chemicals like calcium are not desired in the processing. These products are processed from biochar, wood vinegar, bio-oil and syngas produced from an internally developed advanced pyrolysis technology which uses waste biomass and alien invasive plants (AIPs) as input raw materials. Within the daily course of business, this process produces auditable biochar-based carbon credits.

Africa Carbon & Commodities

Nicole Dewing, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Africa Carbon & Commodities, Senegal

Cheikh Bamba Thioye, Consultant, Africa Carbon & Commodities, Senegal

Deekali Plastic Waste Recovery is the first plastic-credit project registered in Africa and the first of its kind in a Least Developed Country. Initiated in Senegal the project tackles the growing challenge of unmanaged plastic waste that burdens urban centers, public spaces, landfills, and marine ecosystems across West Africa.

Led by Africa Carbon & Commodities (ACC) in partnership with the Senegalese recycling enterprises Proplast, Kaoplast, and Touba Recyclage Plastique, Deekali has built upon a coordinated, community-based recovery and recycling system. Trained collectors and organized women’s groups retrieve plastic waste from dumpsites, beaches, households, and public spaces. The collected material is delivered directly to the three partner recycling facilities, where it is transformed into high-quality flakes and chips for manufacturing as well as durable plastic lumber for household and commercial products.

The Deekali initiative cuts plastic pollution at its source, supplies manufacturers with affordable recycled feedstock that reduces reliance on virgin plastics, and creates stable, income-generating employment within a circular economy - all while serving as an educational platform for local communities.

Plastic-credit financing is essential to sustain and expand these achievements. Revenues from credit sales not only fund the enlargement of the collection network, the purchase of land for permanent recycling facilities, and the construction of improved infrastructure, but also support equipment upgrades, improved wages for workers, workforce training, opportunities for hard-to-recycle plastics, and the development of advanced processing technologies.

Plastic credits provide resources for community outreach and educational campaigns, ensure rigorous monitoring and verification required for credit issuance, and create the financial stability needed to replicate the model in other West African countries.