UAE Carbon Alliance Joins Africa Carbon Market Initiative’s Advance Market Signal to Purchase US$450 million of High-quality African Carbon Credits by 2030

• The commitment by the UAE Carbon Alliance seeks to connect the high-integrity supply of African carbon credits to high demand from the Middle East

Abu Dhabi, UAE | 4 September 2023 – The UAE Carbon Alliance, chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), signs a non-binding Letter of Intent with the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative’s Advance Market Signal to pledge an indicative intended purchase of US$450 million in African carbon credits by 2030.

The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) is a collaborative effort incubated by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and The Rockefeller Foundation, and rolled out in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions. Launched during COP27, the initiative aims to create, amplify, and sustain the generation of high integrity carbon credits in Africa with the ambition to reduce emissions and bring transparency and integrity to voluntary carbon markets in the region. Signatories under ACMI’s Advance Market Signal represent the carbon market buyers and investors interested in purchasing African carbon credits to support the development of African carbon markets.

Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President & CEO of UICCA, said: “As we navigate the climate crisis, carbon markets stand as a pivotal tool in our decarbonisation journey. The UAE Carbon Alliance aspires to aggregate demand for high-quality carbon credits from the UAE; demand which already exceeds the supply available from the UAE alone. Our collaboration with the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative provides carbon market buyers in the UAE and wider region with access to high-quality carbon credits in Africa. This does not only help to unlock Africa’s carbon credit generation potential, but also supports sustainable investment opportunities and long-term climate impact. Through this commitment, we hope to foster more integrated and efficient carbon market mechanisms between our two regions.”

Paul Muthaura, CEO of ACMI, said: “We are thrilled to announce this critical signal from the United Arab Emirates Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), which amplifies the ACMI mission to build integrity via transparency and accountability for high-integrity carbon credits in Africa. We seek to promote a conducive environment, across continental jurisdictions, that bridges the demand from the Middle East, among others, with Africa’s potential for high integrity supply. UICCA’s commitment is a testament to the opportunity created through international cooperation in addressing climate change. Together, we aim to create a sustainable, transparent, and equitable carbon market ecosystem in Africa that will drive significant positive impact for our continent and the world.”

To date, the current signatories under ACMI’s Advance Market Signal include Standard Chartered, Vertree, ETG and Nando’s, with an estimated US$200 million gathered for purchase of African carbon credits by 2030. ACMI is aligned with the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Market’s Core Carbon Principles, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative’s recommendations.

The UAE Carbon Alliance launched in June 2023 is a coalition of partners dedicated to advance the development of a carbon market ecosystem. Chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, its founding members include AirCarbon Exchange (ACX), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), in addition to UICCA as its secretariat.

About UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA):

UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) works to propel the growth of a thriving green economy in the UAE and around the world. By convening the public and private sectors, as well as communities, UICCA advances green financing frameworks and advocates for effective policy and regulation, in order to accelerate the development and implementation of practical climate technology solutions.

Each of UICCA’s projects and initiatives is designed to achieve tangible impact and measurable results in the journey to a more sustainable future. These include a launchpad programme that accelerates climate tech solutions by providing extensive, tailored support to entrepreneurs and promising startups, and a think tank that develops and publishes research reports and policy papers.

UICCA oversees a number of community engagement platforms that raise awareness, host dialogues, and galvanize ideas and actions. UICCA is also the driving force behind a series of partnerships and sector alliances, including the Carbon Alliance – a coalition of partners dedicated to advance the development of a carbon market ecosystem in the UAE.

UICCA was founded and is led by Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, alongside a diverse team of experts in climate research, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. For further information and to stay up to date on upcoming news announcements, please visit: www.uicca.ae.

Contact:

Elda Kulenovic | UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators, elda.kulenovic@uicca.ae

Sherri Chua | Brunswick Group, UICCA@brunswickgroup.com

Africa Carbon Market Initiative (ACMI):

The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) was launched at COP27 in Egypt, by a coalition of organizations focused on high integrity climate impact, clean energy, and sustainable development, to accelerate the growth of Africa’s voluntary carbon markets.

The initiative was launched by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) with support from the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions. It is led by a 13-person steering committee of African leaders and carbon market experts.

ACMI aims to help shape and harness the potential for carbon markets in Africa. Its focus is to capture more of Africa’s potential in carbon markets by addressing the challenges to voluntary carbon market growth and building the foundations for a thriving voluntary carbon market ecosystem in Africa by 2030.

This initiative will focus not only on driving decarbonization activities but also on driving economic development by supporting energy access, scaling the clean energy transition, protecting forests, improving agriculture, and creating new income sources.

For further information please visit: africacarbonmarkets.org

Contact:

Brian Leputu | brian@africacommunicationsgroup.com