Community of Practice & Webinar Series
Enabling African REDD+ Countries to Access the International Carbon Markets
📅 26th – 30th May 2025
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EAT / 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. GMT
💻 Hosted on Howspace – the UN-REDD+ Academy Platform
Unlocking Africa’s Carbon Market Potential
Africa is home to vast forests and ecosystems that offer powerful nature-based solutions for addressing climate change. However, despite growing global demand for carbon credits, the continent remains underrepresented in international carbon markets.
Between 2016 and 2021, demand for African-origin carbon credits grew by 36% annually. Yet by 2022, the total retirement value of these credits stood at just USD 123 million—a fraction of Africa’s true potential. While REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) remains a vital pathway for generating carbon finance, African countries continue to face barriers including limited access to domestic and upfront financing, technical capacity gaps, and low awareness of carbon market mechanisms.
To help overcome these challenges, the African Forest Forum (AFF), in collaboration with the UN-REDD Programme, is hosting a five-day interactive Community of Practice (CoP) and webinar series designed to strengthen African readiness for engaging in voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
What to Expect
Over the course of the week, participants will gain:
✅ A comprehensive understanding of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), its structure, standards, and entry pathways
✅ Insights into Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and its relevance to African participation in global carbon trading
✅ Tools and practical knowledge to strengthen technical readiness and meet market requirements
What’s in Store
🔹 Daily live webinars led by global and regional experts
🔹 Moderated discussions through the UN-REDD Academy’s collaborative chat platform
🔹 Peer learning and exchange of national and regional experiences
🔹 Access to curated tools, guidance materials, and knowledge products
Who Should Attend?
REDD+ national coordinators, government ministries and agencies, project developers, civil society organizations, private sector actors, research institutions, and anyone working on forests, carbon finance, or climate policy in Africa.
Registration Guide
If you are a first time user to the platform, use the following steps to register:
- Click on the following registration link: https://reddacademy.in.howspace.com/connecting-african-redd-plus-with-carbon-markets
- Enter your e-mail address, when prompted. The Login link will be sent to your inbox.
- Click on the link and register for the Community of Practice by filling in the mandatory fields of the registration form.
- In response to the question, “Would you like to join a Community of Practice?” select the fourth option: African Forest Forum
- You will be re-directed to the UN-REDD Academy ‘Welcome page’
- To participate in the CoP, go to the menu bar and click on > Communities of Practice > African Forest Forum> Connecting African REDD+ with Carbon Markets
- A video tutorial for first time users will be available on the main page to help you navigate the platform.
*As an existing member of the virtual platform, simply click on the registration link HERE.
For more information, download:
The Terms of Reference: Enabling African REDD+ Countries to Access the International Carbon Markets