Ghana Builds Capacity for Carbon Market Participation

Accra: Ghana is strengthening its readiness to participate in international carbon markets through a master class aimed at building a pool of skilled professionals to develop, register, and trade high-quality carbon credits. The move is to expand national capacity by equipping institutions and individuals with the technical skills required to participate effectively in the market. According to Ghana News Agency, Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the Chief Executive of the Environmental Protection Authority, stated at the opening of the training that the global surge in carbon market activity presented Ghana with a major opportunity to unlock revenue, attract renewable energy technologies, and improve livelihoods, especially among vulnerable groups. The training is the second in the series, in which nearly 50 people from Ghana and Nigeria have signed up to participate. Prof. Klutse highlighted that the carbon market is trending worldwide and that Ghana has a substantial carbon credit potential that can be traded for money and renewable energy technologies to benefit the country and its citizens. She noted that Ghana has already set up a Carbon Market Office and gained practical experience in transferring its first Authorised Emission Reductions (ITMOs) to Switzerland under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Dr. Daniel Tutu Benefoh, the Lead at the Ghana Carbon Market Office, would guide participants through the fundamentals of compliance and voluntary carbon markets, Ghana's emerging institutional arrangements, and the technical requirements for generating tradable carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. He explained that beyond policy frameworks, successful participation in carbon markets depended largely on human capacity, including skills in measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), project design, registry systems, and contract negotiation. Dr. Benefoh stated that Ghana had progressed in setting up systems to authorise and track carbon transactions, a step expected to attract credible investo rs and protect national interests in future trades. He emphasized that the training aimed to reduce knowledge gaps that had limited African countries' participation in global carbon markets, despite the continent's significant mitigation potential in sectors such as forestry, clean cooking, renewable energy, and waste management. Developing local expertise, he added, would ensure that carbon projects deliver real emissions reductions while generating revenue for communities and supporting national development priorities. The ultimate objective is to help build an African carbon market of high integrity. 'This commodity is intangible and thrives on perception and credibility. We want Africa to have a market that meets the highest standards,' he said. Ghana continues to attract attention from other African countries seeking to learn from its carbon market framework, with delegations from Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, and Namibia already engaging the Carbon Market Office.