Africa: African Leaders Push To Cash In On Forests As Carbon Trading Gains Traction

What the report says

African governments are using COP31 in Antalya to press for more finance tied to forest protection, carbon markets and restoration projects, according to Bird Story Agency’s report published by AllAfrica. Ghana said it expects about $43 million in forest carbon payments after issuing roughly 6.5 million credits under the ART Trees standard, while Gabon recently completed a separate deal to sell about six million tonnes of forest carbon credits, with deliveries expected in 2027.

The report says leaders and ministers from Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Ethiopia used a forest summit at COP31 to outline plans to expand carbon credit sales, attract private investment and support local livelihoods. The DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi said his country would keep protecting its forests while seeking more funding, and Congo-Brazzaville highlighted large-scale tree planting and protected areas. Nigeria presented a country package to secure forests and finance restoration, including through green bonds.

The article places these efforts in the wider shift after global carbon-trading rules agreed at COP29, which made it easier to track international emissions trades. It also notes that forest finance remains relatively small compared with the climate role forests play. For African governments, the appeal is economic as well as environmental: standing forests can generate revenue while supporting communities, biodiversity and rainfall systems.