The operationalization of the multifaceted digital-operated registry is to enable Zambia conform to the provisions of Zambia’s Green Economy and Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement, and that actions related to our carbon credits are visible and can be reviewed by members of the public.

Zambia joins Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ghana, among other countries across the globe to deploy a fully integrated, sovereign digital infrastructure for carbon asset management.

The pioneering platform positions Zambia at the forefront of global climate finance by ensuring transparency, environmental integrity, and strict compliance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE), Dr. Douty Chibamba, launching the registry described the action a show of resolve by Zambia to provide transparency in carbon trading.

The fully online Zambia’s Carbon Registry demonstrates Zambia’s integrity and strong commitment to accountability and transparency and fulfillment of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

This is done under the Paris Agreement by tracking mitigation activities and outcomes, preventing double counting, managing relationships between exported credits and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), and further enhancing transparency in Zambia’s participation in international carbon marked Development.

Dr. Chibamba stated that the Registry would be operationalized as espoused under the Zambia’s Green Economy and Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement.

This will ensure actions related to the country’s carbon credits are visible and able to be reviewed by members of the public.

The Carbon Registry provides a platform for Zambia to track, manage, and report carbon project greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in an accurate, timely and transparent manner.

As a fully operationalized digital infrastructure, the Carbon Registry applies internationally recognised MRV, accounting and carbon crediting standards, in line with Article 6 and Zambia’s national carbon market regulations, to register, track, quantify and verify carbon project-related greenhouse gas GHG) emissions reductions, and issue carbon credits.

Over the past few years, the SPAR6C Program, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), has supported the Zambian government.

This has been evidenced through the establishment of the necessary regulatory and institutional frameworks required to participate in international carbon markets, as prescribed by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Having now signed Bilateral Agreements on Article 6 cooperative approaches with Sweden, Norway and Switzerland, the country is now ready to trade carbon credits.

The Registry further underscores Zambia’s continued commitment to sustainable development and to achieving its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement by tracking mitigation activities and outcomes.

This will help, prevent double counting, managing relationships between exported credits and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), and further enhancing transparency in Zambia’s participation in international carbon markets.

This launch marks the first phase of the Registry, focused on Article 6-aligned carbon projects.

A second phase will follow soon, incorporating Voluntary Carbon Market activity registration, reporting and performance tracking. Developed through South-to-South cooperation with Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency.

The Registry inception, reflects the value of peer learning, shared technical expertise and regional collaboration in building practical climate solutions that respond to national priorities while advancing collective climate action.

The Registry will further be interoperable with the UNFCCC’s Centralised Accounting and Reporting Platform (CARP) to ensure the seamless and transparent exchange of information on mitigation activities, their performance and related issuances, while preventing double issuances or double counting.

The Carbon Registry will be managed by ZEMA, which will serve as the lead agency responsible for its administration, oversight and integrity, building on ZEMA’s mandate to compile the national GHG inventory.

The Registry will also be linked to Zambia’s Integrated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (iMRV) system to support NDC reporting, compliance tracking and transparent reporting on climate action overall.

Acting Director General, Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) Christopher Kanema, said:

“As the host agency entrusted with maintaining and administering the national registry system, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency – ZEMA- is committed to ensuring that the registry operates to the highest standards of integrity, security, transparency and reliability, while remaining fully aligned with Zambia’s legal and institutional framework and international requirements.

The registry will be integrated with our national measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system to enable a seamless flow of information between carbon market activities and the national greenhouse gas accounting system.

By making carbon market information visible, traceable and accessible, the Carbon Registry strengthens public trust, supports regulatory oversight, and safeguards the environmental integrity of Zambia’s carbon credits.

According to climate experts, the launch of the Zambia Carbon Registry is expected to provide international investors and project developers with the legal and digital certainty they require for carbon trading.

By eliminating the risk of double-counting and streamlining the administrative pipeline, Zambia is opening up for transparent, scalable, and high-impact carbon finance investment.” – Joachim Schnurr, SPAR6C Zambia Team Lead.

The Carbon Registry has been developed under the SPAR6C Program, which is internationally implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and implemented in Zambia by GFA Consulting Group and UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre.

The program is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

The Registry’s development process was led by the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, GFA Consulting Group, and CEEEZ, in close collaboration with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE).