Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, six countries in the Congo Basin, have launched new Strategic Roadmaps for Carbon Market and Climate Finance in the Forest Sector for the Congo Basin, with support from the World Bank. These countries seek to capitalize on global carbon markets to transform the region’s forest wealth into a sustainable source of income, green jobs, and climate-resilient growth.
These strategies are designed as country-specific plans. Based on technical data from the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem Accounts, they are intended to align climate and conservation objectives with national development priorities. In other words, protecting forests is not the only consideration; their economic value must also be integrated into each country's growth and sustainable development policies.
The Congo Basin is home to the world's second-largest tropical rainforest and is recognized as a High Forest Cover, Low Deforestation (HFLD) region. Historically, despite maintaining extensive areas of relatively intact forest, these countries have not received proportional levels of climate finance. The new roadmaps seek to close this gap by providing access to results-based payments and international investments linked to emissions reduction and forest conservation.
Key criteria: governance, transparency, and participation
The Roadmaps are aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, particularly 6.2 and 6.4, which regulate international cooperation mechanisms and carbon markets. For countries to participate credibly in these markets, it is essential to strengthen Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems, ensure transparency, and the environmental integrity of the credits generated.
In addition, the roadmaps identify several priorities, such as:
- strengthening institutional coordination,
- clarifying the legal and fiscal treatment of carbon credits,
- developing digital capacities, and
- establishing mechanisms for equitable benefit sharing.
This last point seeks to ensure that revenues from climate finance also reach local communities and Indigenous Peoples who depend directly on forests.
In addition, it promotes greater private sector participation in order to attract long-term climate investment and foster technical partnerships that help scale up forestry projects. The logic behind this approach is that carbon markets can only function properly if there are clear rules, strong institutions, and trust at both the national and international levels.
Progress is different between countries. Gabon and the Republic of Congo have made progress through results-based pilot agreements and REDD+ initiatives, providing them with practical experience implementing carbon mechanisms. In contrast, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic are in earlier stages and are still developing the necessary institutions. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Cameroon have enormous potential due to the magnitude of their forest resources. However, they face challenges related to technical capacity and governance, which these roadmaps aim to address.
Forests as strategic resources for the region
Beyond technical considerations, this initiative represents a significant shift in the development narrative in the Congo Basin. While the debate has traditionally centered on forest loss, degradation, and the limitations that conservation can impose on economic growth, the new strategies propose a different approach: that forests should be viewed as financial assets capable of generating real benefits, not just areas to be protected.
World Bank officials have emphasized that the region's forests play a key role in global climate regulation and represent an opportunity for development. Under this vision, natural capital can be converted into investments that generate tax revenue, local employment, and greater resilience to the impacts of climate change. The roadmaps, developed through extensive consultations with national stakeholders, seek to create the conditions necessary for this transformation. By linking environmental protection, social inclusion, and economic objectives, these plans offer a comprehensive approach that integrates climate, work, and development agendas.
Overall, the initiative is part of a broader effort to establish the Congo Basin as a global leader in forest-based climate resilience and green economic growth. However, its success relies on each government's ability to implement the proposed policies, strengthen governance, and ensure fair and transparent distribution of benefits. Cheick Fantamady Kanté, World Bank Division Director for Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, claimed that if the right conditions are in place, carbon markets could be a transformative tool for the region. They could represent more than just a short-term source of funding; they could provide a long-term opportunity to redefine the development framework by demonstrating that forest conservation and economic growth are complementary goals.
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