COMESA and World Bank Host Webinar on Carbon Markets
On 8 December 2025, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the World Bank convened a high-level webinar under the theme “Fundamentals of International Carbon Markets and Emerging Trends.” The session brought together more than 70 delegates from ASCENT Project Implementation Units across participating countries, as part of the World Bank’s Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Carbon Program.
The event aimed to strengthen the capacity of project implementation units and key stakeholders to effectively engage in international carbon markets.
Delivering the keynote address, COMESA Director of Infrastructure and Logistics, Dr. Bernard Dzawanda highlighted ASCENT’s innovative approach to leveraging carbon markets and emphasized that by monetizing emission reductions from renewable energy and clean cooking technologies, countries can unlock new revenue streams, attract investment, and secure a stronger role in the global transition to a low-carbon future.
“Today’s webinar is designed to build the capacity of project implementation units and stakeholders to engage effectively in these markets. Over the next ninety minutes, you will gain practical insights into how carbon projects are designed, validated and verified, understand the distinction between compliance and voluntary markets and explore emerging global trends that will shape opportunities for our region,” Dr. Dzawanda noted. He was represented by ASCENT Gender Expert Dr. Maria Phiri.
He encouraged participants to engage actively, share experiences and draw on the expertise of facilitators to ensure ASCENT delivers not only energy access, but also climate resilience and financial innovation for communities.
Approved in November 2023, ASCENT is a bold and transformative initiative designed to close the persistent energy access gap across more than 20 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. Through ASCENT, COMESA aims to Provide electricity access to 100 million people and deliver clean cooking solutions to 20 million households.
