The Carbon Markets Africa Summit took place from 13 to 15 October at the Kigali Convention Centre, gathering government officials, project developers, investors, buyers and technical experts.

Over the three‑day programme, policy dialogue was linked with commercial and technical steps needed to bring carbon projects to market, covering sectors such as blue carbon, reforestation, agriculture, rangeland restoration and waste‑related solutions.

A major outcome was the launch of the Africa Nature Impact Fund, a partnership between Finance Earth, FSD Africa and FSD Africa Investments aimed at mobilising US$100 million for early‑stage nature‑based carbon projects.

The fund secured an initial £5 million commitment from FSD Africa Investments and is targeting a US$20 million first close in 2027 to bridge the financing gap that often stalls projects before they can generate credits.

Rwanda’s environment minister, Hon. Dr Bernadette Arakwiye, indicated that the government is considering allocating a share of carbon transaction revenues through the Rwanda Green Fund to support project preparation and pre‑financing.

On the final day, the Kigali International Financial Centre introduced Rwanda’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0, a strategy that sets priorities through 2030 for preparing businesses, strengthening carbon finance and improving sustainability data.

KIFC chief executive Hortense Mudenge highlighted the roadmap’s ambition to position Kigali as a hub for carbon aggregation and investment structuring, linking finance to job creation and economic resilience.

Technical workshops addressed issues such as authorisations, evolving international standards, risk‑sharing mechanisms, registry interoperability and building local verification capacity, while live demos showcased digital tools for monitoring project performance.

UNDP’s Maxwell Gomera, resident representative in South Africa, stressed that the next phase involves converting the connections made at the summit into well‑prepared projects that embed community rights and fair benefit‑sharing from the outset.

The summit was hosted by Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment, with UNDP and the African Development Bank as co‑hosts and the Development Bank of Southern Africa as a partner, reflecting a broad regional collaboration on carbon markets.