{"id":24192,"date":"2026-02-24T16:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers\/channelafrica\/news\/congo-basin-countries-unveil-strategic-carbon-market-roadmaps-to-unlock-climate-finance-forest-led-growth\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:34:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:34:54","slug":"congo-basin-countries-unveil-strategic-carbon-market-roadmaps-to-unlock-climate-finance-forest-led-growth","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/congo-basin-countries-unveil-strategic-carbon-market-roadmaps-to-unlock-climate-finance-forest-led-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Congo Basin countries unveil strategic carbon\u2011market roadmaps to unlock climate finance, forest\u2011led growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The plans, developed with support from the World Bank, aim to help Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo unlock results\u2011based financing and attract large\u2011scale investment to protect one of the world\u2019s most critical forest regions.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Congo Basin is home to the second\u2011largest tropical rainforest on earth and is recognised as a High Forest, Low Deforestation zone. The new country\u2011specific roadmaps provide guidance on how governments can credibly engage in carbon markets, strengthen monitoring systems, and ensure equitable benefit\u2011sharing for local communities.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Chakib Jenane, the World Bank\u2019s Regional Practice Director for Western and Central Africa, said the roadmaps mark a shift from viewing forests only as conservation assets to recognising them as drivers of economic opportunity. \u201cForests across the Congo Basin offer more than global climate regulation. They represent critical financial assets and a development opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The roadmaps draw on data from the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem Accounts and align with each country\u2019s institutional and technical readiness. They prioritise actions such as improving governance, enhancing digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification systems, and aligning processes with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These systems are essential for countries to participate effectively in international carbon markets and to guarantee transparency and environmental integrity.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Gabon and the Republic of Congo are already advancing with pilot results\u2011based agreements and REDD+ initiatives, while Equatorial Guinea and the CAR are still building foundational systems. The DRC and Cameroon also have significant potential, though both face capacity and governance gaps that the roadmaps aim to address.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Cheick Fantamady Kant\u00e9 of the World Bank said carbon markets could be transformative if robust systems are in place. \u201cThese strategic roadmaps provide a practical guide for governments to operationalise carbon finance with a focus on good governance, private sector engagement and benefits for local communities,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The initiative forms part of the World Bank\u2019s broader effort to position the Congo Basin as a global leader in forest\u2011driven climate resilience and green economic growth.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8211;WorldBankGroup\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":21933,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-24192","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Six Congo Basin nations have launched new strategic roadmaps to harness global carbon markets and mobilise climate finance, marking a significant step toward transforming the region\u2019s vast forest wealth into engines of sustainable development.\u00a0","published_date":null,"news_description":"Six Congo Basin nations have launched new strategic roadmaps to harness global carbon markets and mobilise climate finance, marking a significant step toward transforming the region\u2019s vast forest wealth into engines of sustainable development.\u00a0","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/24192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/24192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26948,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/24192\/revisions\/26948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=24192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}