December 2008: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has published a discussion paper entitled: “Global Carbon Markets: Are There Opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa?” The paper investigates the constraints that prevent Sub-Saharan countries from fully participating in global carbon markets and suggests policies for better integration.

Despite their high potential for mitigation through agriculture and
forestry, Sub-Saharan countries remain marginalized in global carbon
trading under the Kyoto Protocol. The authors argue that appropriate
climate change policies are needed to unleash Sub-Saharan Africa’s
potential for pro-poor mitigation investment, focusing on increasing
the profitability of environmentally sustainable practices that
generate income for small producers and create investment flows for
rural communities. Such policies require: integrating global carbon
trading with the sectoral and micro-level design of markets and
contracts; investing in community management; and streamlining the
measurement and enforcement of offsets, financial flows and carbon
credits for investors.
The paper includes: an overview of global
carbon markets, including opportunities for carbon trading, and the
current involvement of developing countries; an assessment of the
mitigation potential and options involving agriculture, land use and
forestry; a discussion of the major constraints to the participation of
Sub-Saharan Africa in global carbon markets; and options for
integrating the region into global carbon markets. [The Paper]