Lusaka, Zambia 17 April 2025 As Zambia continues to enhance its preparedness for international carbon market participation, including through the enactment of the Green Economy and Climate Change Act No. 18 of 2024 and publication of the Carbon Market Framework, there has been a growing demand from Zambian carbon project developers for clarity on the process of submission of project concepts and proposals, including the treatment of existing voluntary carbon projects, their continuation and/or migration to Article 6.
To respond to these growing demands, the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) supported by the Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) Program, hosted a capacity building workshop for Carbon Project Developers in Zambia, on Wednesday 16th April 2025 at the southern sun Hotel.
The capacity building workshop served as a platform for carbon project developers and operators, the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) and the Technical Committee on Green Economy and Climate Change (TC-GECC) to discuss the requirements for carbon market development in Zambia.
“Great progress has been made towards the operationalisation of carbon markets in Zambia. The Ministry has facilitated the enactment of the Green Economy and Climate Change Act, No. 18 of 2024. We have also published detailed institutional processes and approval requirements to facilitate international carbon market participation, through our carbon market framework.” – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Dr. D outy Chibamba represented by Mr. Ranford Simumbwe
During the event, potential and existing carbon project developers gained insight and knowledge on; the different project pathways such as submission and approval of new and old VCM projects (not) seeking corresponding adjustment and new A6 and migrating VCM projects seeking corresponding adjustment; project submission templates; and, how to access buyers and where to find relevant information through the Carbon Market Page currently hosted by the Zambian Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.
“As |Government successfully implements the preconditions for the country to get access to finance from the international carbon markets, buyers of emission reduction certificates generated by the Zambian projects are lining up. At the same time, project developers see the opportunity to sell their emission reduction certificates to Triple-A rated buyers, which improves the bankability of their projects. We therefore need to ensure that projects developers are familiar with the requirements of high-quality GHG mitigation projects as has been stipulated by the country’s carbon market framework,.” said – Joachim Schnurr, SPAR6C Team Lead.
“Attending this workshop offered a timely and much-needed deep dive into Zambia’s evolving carbon market framework. One of the most important takeaways for me was the clarity provided around the approval pathway for VCM projects both with and without corresponding adjustments. Equally important was the reaffirmation that all projects, regardless of their Article 6 status, must be registered and report to ZEMA. This reinforces the government’s commitment to integrity, transparency, and national oversight in a space that is rapidly expanding. For us at One Acre Fund, smallholder farmers are the reason we are in the carbon space to begin with. They are the stewards of land, the frontline actors in climate mitigation, and too often the last to benefit from climate finance. Ensuring they are not just included but centered in how Zambia’s carbon market grows is core to our mission. Workshops like this are a crucial step toward building a market that is both environmentally credible and socially inclusive. We are encouraged by the progress and grateful for the space to engage, clarify, and collaborate.” Chanda Banda – Government Relations and Policy Senior Manager, One Acre Fund.
The next steps for SPAR6C after this capacity building is a matchmaking activity between Zambian Carbon Project Developers and buyers. SPAR6C will support the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment with screening project developer proposals against the requirements of the buyers.
This event was supported by the Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) Program is led by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) with GFA Consulting Group and UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre as the leading delivery partners in Zambia hosted a capacity building workshop for Carbon Project Developers in Zambia on 16th April 2025 in Lusaka.
P.O BOX 30147
Lusaka, Zambia
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