African governments and project developers are in Kigali this week trying to do what the continent’s carbon market has struggled to do so far: close deals.

The Carbon Markets Africa Summit 2026, which runs from October 13 to 15, has drawn delegates from 45 countries, 21 of them African, according to the organisers. Talks cover financing, market integrity and how much of the value from carbon-credit projects stays with African countries and communities.

Rwanda’s Environment Minister Bernadette Arakwiye opened the meeting by saying African carbon markets should reflect the continent’s own priorities and deliver visible benefits to its people, the organisers said.

Less talk of rules, more talk of money

After years spent drafting regulations, the focus has shifted to getting projects funded and credits sold. The programme includes investor and buyer roundtables, project presentations and deal rooms where developers can pitch directly to financiers and purchasers.

The projects on offer span nature-based solutions, regenerative agriculture, carbon removals, waste-to-value schemes and blue carbon, which is carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.

A strong pipeline does not guarantee money, though. Developers still have to show their projects make financial sense, that they can deliver the credits promised, and that those credits meet what buyers require.

Trust in the credits

Doubts about whether carbon credits represent real emissions cuts have dented buyer confidence across the global market. Sessions in Kigali address that head-on, with discussions on monitoring, reporting and verification, known as MRV, the process of measuring a project’s results and confirming them with evidence.

Investors say clear verification helps them judge risk. Weak verification can scare off financing. The agenda also covers digital market infrastructure and ways to align approaches across countries.

Article 6 and foreign demand

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement lets countries cooperate on climate targets, including by transferring emissions reductions between them. For African governments, how it is applied will shape which projects can sell abroad and who captures the revenue. It also forces a trade-off: attracting foreign investment while protecting their own emissions targets and development plans.

Sessions cover national authorisations, Article 6 implementation and coordination between African markets, along with what corporate, bilateral and compliance buyers want. The organisers say policy certainty, credible project supply and investment-ready opportunities are what the region needs most. Clear rules and predictable approvals would also cut uncertainty for investors.

Who gets the money

Carbon finance can fund projects that would struggle to find backing elsewhere, from conservation to farming and waste management. But a carbon project does not automatically mean income for the community around it. That depends on project design, ownership, running costs and how revenue is shared.

That makes benefit-sharing one of the central questions of the summit. Projects will need to show not only credible climate results but also how they involve communities and protect them.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa, the United Nations Development Programme and the African Development Bank are among the institutions involved in the wider programme. Rwanda’s Ministry of Environment is hosting, with AUDA-NEPAD as strategic institutional partner, according to the organisers.