East African Carbon Company (EACC), a purpose-built institution focused on developing high-integrity carbon markets across Africa, has officially launched. The organisation has been established as a government-backed facilitator of carbon markets, advancing national climate goals, protecting public land, restoring ecosystems, and mobilising climate finance for African governments and communities.
EACC works directly with national and regional governments to design and implement carbon projects that comply with domestic legislation, natural-resource priorities, and international climate frameworks. Its model emphasises sovereign leadership, transparent governance, and benefits that remain rooted in local communities.
Naveed Tariq, Chief Investment Officer at EACC, said the organisation recognises the need for trusted partners who collaborate closely with governments, communities, and investors under inclusive, transparent frameworks. He explained that the model is based on national priorities for economic wellbeing, climate resilience, and integration with global markets, and that combining these elements allows climate-focused investments to protect land, strengthen livelihoods, and contribute to planetary balance. He added that investors are increasingly seeking this approach, and that opportunities emerging from East Africa are both substantial and long overdue.
EACC operates through formal partnerships with East African governments, including Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment. Through these partnerships, it develops nature-based projects that protect public land, regenerate forests, and restore degraded ecosystems, generating verified carbon credits under internationally recognised mechanisms such as the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism and Article 6. The first-of-its-kind climate-centred public–private partnership is designed to leave a lasting legacy.
Projects are co-developed with government agencies, local authorities, and community representatives, ensuring women, youth, and smallholder farmers participate meaningfully in planning, training, and long-term benefit pathways.
Feasibility studies in Uganda’s protected areas identified 714,000 hectares suitable for restoration and protection, representing an estimated 18.5 million tonnes of carbon sequestration over 40 years. Early phases are expected to train 5,000 farmers, create over 1,000 direct jobs, and contribute to Uganda’s national priorities, including Vision 2040, the National Climate Change Act, and the country’s NDCs.
The launch comes as voluntary carbon markets face stricter regulation, greater transparency, and increased government oversight. Many African governments have raised concerns over opaque private-sector practices and weak benefit-sharing, prompting new regulations to safeguard sovereign control over project authorisation, pricing, and community returns.
EACC’s model addresses these issues through joint project teams comprising central government, local authorities, and EACC specialists at every stage of design and implementation. It incorporates transparent measurement, reporting, and verification, supported by geospatial monitoring aligned with Uganda’s Climate Change Mechanisms Regulations, alongside continuous community engagement and equitable benefit-sharing.
With demand rising for credible carbon credits, particularly in Europe and Asia, East Africa is emerging as a prime destination for high-integrity climate-finance investment. Interest is growing among long-term institutional capital and family offices in the GCC seeking durable, nature-positive projects with measurable impact.
As markets mature, investors increasingly value strong legal frameworks that offer clarity and long-term security, while high-quality monitoring has become essential to ensure confidence in the permanence and accuracy of climate results. EACC emphasises that the future of climate finance in Africa must prioritise equity and trade rather than extraction. (Press Release)