Africa Moves to Capture Trillions in Carbon Finance, Trains Diplomats for Global Climate Market Negotiations

*AU, ACBF equip over 80 ambassadors, senior diplomats as continent pushes for bigger share of carbon trading under Paris agreement

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The African Union (AU) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) have begun preparing African diplomats for what could become one of the continent’s biggest climate financing opportunities, training more than 80 ambassadors, senior diplomats and policy experts to negotiate a stronger African position in the rapidly expanding global carbon market.

The high-level training, held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marks a major step in implementing the Africa Action Plan on Carbon Markets, adopted by the AU Assembly in 2025 to ensure African countries derive greater economic and environmental benefits from international carbon trading.

The initiative comes as decisions reached under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, are expected to significantly expand global carbon markets, potentially unlocking billions of dollars in climate finance for developing countries, including those in Africa.