Seizing the Continent’s Climate Finance Future at Carbon Markets Africa Summit
Africa is standing on the edge of a defining moment in climate finance. As the global spotlight turns towards carbon pricing and sustainable development, the upcoming Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS), set for 21 to 23 October 2025 in Johannesburg, emerges as a strategic turning point for the continent. Orchestrated by the award-winning VUKA Group, CMAS aims to translate Africa’s vast natural carbon assets into inclusive economic growth, climate resilience, and real-world investment opportunities.
Unlike traditional commodities, carbon isn’t extracted from the earth in a physical sense. Instead, it hinges on validation, measurement, and trust. That’s where CMAS is set to break new ground, by convening key players—from government ministers and financiers to developers and global standards bodies—to foster action, accountability, and investment at scale.
As Olivia Tuchten, Principal Climate Change Advisor at Promethium Carbon, puts it: “This isn’t mining or retail. The returns, timelines and requirements are different. There’s money to be made and good to be done – but only if stakeholders upskill and understand the process.”
Timely, Tactical and Tied to Article 6
The timing of CMAS is no coincidence. With the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November and COP30 fast approaching, Africa is at a critical juncture. As debates rage on about carbon border adjustment mechanisms and international credit standards, the continent needs to speak with one voice.
“We are in the right place and at the right time today to ensure that Africa benefits from carbon markets,” says Prof Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The alignment with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is key. It allows countries to collaborate in reducing emissions through international carbon markets, a mechanism that could unlock billions for African economies—if governed with integrity and technical readiness.
What Makes CMAS Stand Out?
Unlike many climate gatherings that get bogged down in policy speak, CMAS is built to deliver results. Here’s how:
1. A Pan-African Vision, Anchored in Action: CMAS places African leadership at the centre, while maintaining strong ties to global buyers, financiers, and standards agencies. This balance ensures that Africa is not merely a participant, but a powerful agenda-setter.
2. Ministerial Roundtable – 21 October: Held behind closed doors, this high-level session convenes environment, climate, and finance ministers from across the continent. The aim? To align national policies and craft a unified African voice ahead of G20 and COP30.
3. Real Deals, Not Just Dialogue: With investor roundtables, project showcases, and tailored networking events, CMAS is engineered for deal-making. It’s less talk, more action.
4. Navigating the Maze of Compliance: CMAS will deep-dive into both voluntary and compliance carbon markets, exploring Article 6 mechanisms, emerging regional frameworks, and global best practices.
5. High-Impact Projects in the Spotlight: Africa has no shortage of climate-smart ideas. What it needs is visibility and funding. CMAS puts a spotlight on investable carbon projects with measurable impact on both climate and communities.
Building Capacity for Ownership
For Africa to truly thrive in the carbon economy, it must lead its own journey. That means investing in skills, institutions, and local capital pipelines. The African Carbon Support Facility, created by the AfDB, is a bold step in that direction.
Dr Olufunso Somorin, Regional Principal Officer at AfDB, underscores the mission: “Africa is still not maximising its potential. We need to do things differently. One of the challenges is that there are many good project developers who have very good ideas, but they don’t have the resource to jumpstart their idea into an investable project.”
He continues: “The AfDB wants to increase the number of African-owned, African-based and African-led project developments on the ground.”
Backed by an initial $100 million in capital, the fund aims to support early-stage project developers, cover costly validation steps, and push governments towards market-enabling policies.
Private Sector Confidence Rising
Banks, verification bodies, and trading platforms are increasingly seeing the potential. Lawrence Cole-Morgan, Carbon Credit Trading Lead at Standard Bank, is optimistic: “The carbon markets provide Africa with the ability to monetise its significant carbon sequestration potential to fund socio-economic development and badly needed adaptation, while making a meaningful contribution to combatting climate change.”
From Uganda, Andrew Ocama of the Eastern Africa Alliance on Carbon Markets adds: “Each country is at a different level of readiness. To the seven Alliance countries, these markets are an important avenue for finance owing to their accountability and the measurability of their outcomes.”
A Powerhouse Advisory Board
The diversity and depth of CMAS’s advisory board is testament to its ambition:
- Andrew Gilder, Climate Legal, South Africa
- Andrew Ocama, Eastern Africa Alliance, Uganda
- Bianca Gichangi, VCMI, Kenya
- Brett Stacey, Carbon Zero Verification, UK
- Dr Olufunso Somorin, AfDB, Kenya
- Heather McEwan, Verra, South Africa
- Javier Mazanares, Allen Manza, Panama
- Lawrence Cole-Morgan, Standard Bank, South Africa
- Mathis Granjon, Green Steps, Netherlands
- Maxime Bayen, Catalyst Fund, Spain
- Olivia Tuchten, Promethium Carbon, South Africa
- Reshma Shah, FSD Africa, Kenya
- Bernardin Uzayisaba, UNDP, South Africa
- Ibrahim Shelleng, Government of Nigeria
Their collective experience spans law, finance, policy, verification, and market implementation—bringing insight from across sectors and geographies.
More Than Just a Summit
21 October – Pre-Summit Day
- Carbon 101 seminar
- Dialogue hosted by the Global Trust Project
22–23 October – Main Summit
- High-level plenaries
- Ministerial Roundtable
- Hands-on technical workshops
- Sector-specific dialogues
- Investor and project roundtables
- Deal-making forums and curated networking
Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa
A Proven Organiser
Behind the summit is VUKA Group, a name well known in Africa’s B2B events space. With two decades under its belt and a portfolio that includes Enlit Africa, Africa’s Green Economy Summit, and DRC Mining Week, VUKA brings credibility, networks, and executional muscle.
VUKA’s experience ensures CMAS will not be another policy-heavy conference. Rather, it will be an engine of opportunity.
Why CMAS Matters Now
The carbon economy is real, and Africa has what the world needs: forests, grasslands, blue carbon ecosystems, and massive potential for clean energy and regenerative agriculture. But to access that wealth, Africa must navigate a maze of standards, protocols, and market mechanisms.
Events like CMAS are essential because they bring the right people together, under the right roof, at the right time.
Lighting the Way Forward
As the race to net zero accelerates, Africa is poised to become more than just a source of carbon offsets. With strategic alignment, technical skill-building, and bold leadership, the continent can shape the rules, own the platforms, and reap the rewards.
CMAS 2025 is not just a summit. It’s a call to action for a continent ready to claim its rightful place in the global carbon economy.
