Ghana has become the first African country to trade carbon credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, transferring 11,733 tonnes of verified emission reductions to Switzerland on 8 July. Daniel Tutu Benefor, lead at the Ghana Carbon Market Office, said Ghana is the first African and only the second country globally to complete such a transaction and called the transfer the largest in the world. Article 6.2 allows countries to convert emissions cuts into Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) that can be traded; buyer countries typically offer investment, capacity building or technology in exchange and use the credits to meet climate goals.
The reductions came from the Transformative Cookstove Activity in Rural Ghana, implemented by Envirofit and the Netherlands-based ACT Group with financial support from Switzerland’s KliK Foundation. Envirofit reports the programme has reached more than 180,000 smallholder farmers and households, cut fuel costs by over 50 per cent, reduced indoor air pollution, created nearly 300 jobs and boosted sales via village savings and loan associations. Local users described large practical benefits, including big fuel savings and reduced smoke-related health problems.
Ghana launched an International Carbon Market Framework in 2020 and won Cabinet approval in 2022. By December 2024 the government had earmarked 24 million tonnes of CO2e for trading out of a possible 64 million, and the CMO has received 70 project submissions — many on cookstoves — including proposals for 9.1 million stoves by 2030 and more than 120,000 electric vehicles and bikes. The KliK Foundation said the purchase fits Switzerland’s wider climate strategy and its target of offsetting 20 million tonnes by 2030. Experts warn that rapid market growth could relegate African countries to low‑value roles like stove distribution unless they build skills in verification and project design; the CMO has launched youth training and civil society leaders have urged governments to strengthen youth capacity.
Difficult words
- carbon credit — certificate representing a reduced greenhouse gas emissioncarbon credits
- mitigation — actions to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions
- verify — to check and confirm that something is trueverified
- smallholder — a farmer with a small amount of land
- earmark — to reserve something for a particular purposeearmarked
- capacity building — training and support to improve skills and institutions
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Discussion questions
- How can Ghana and other African countries avoid being limited to low‑value roles in the carbon market? Give two concrete steps based on the article.
- What social and economic benefits did the cookstove programme bring to local communities? Which of these do you think is most important, and why?
- Switzerland buys credits as part of a wider climate strategy. Do you think international carbon trading is a fair way to meet climate goals? Explain using points from the article.
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