Carbon markets: Guinea charts the roadmap for its Cellule Marché Carbone

From 28 to 30 September 2026, Conakry hosted the national capacity-building and validation workshop on the roadmap for operationalising Guinea’s Cellule Marché Carbone. Organised by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), through the National Directorate of Pollution, Nuisances and Climate Change, with the support of the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance, the meeting brought together representatives of the public administration, national institutions, civil society and technical and financial partners. Over three days, they worked on a question that is decisive for the country: how can Guinea participate in carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement while safeguarding the integrity of its climate commitments?

The workshop builds on several years of groundwork. Guinea’s revised NDC of 2021 had already identified carbon finance as a lever for funding mitigation. NDC 3.0, covering the period 2026-2035, goes further. It raises the conditional target excluding LULUCF from 17% to 20%, is backed by a USD 17.7 billion climate investment plan and explicitly provides for the use of Article 6 mechanisms. A draft presidential decree now sets the framework for carbon pricing instruments and market mechanisms. What remained was to translate these orientations into an operational institutional arrangement, and that is the purpose of the roadmap submitted to participants.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Dr Karim Samoura, Secretary General of the MEDD. He noted that Guinea now has assessments, based on verifiable calculations, of the carbon stock accumulated through efforts to avoid degradation. In his view, these results call for greater technical expertise: “These issues must be well understood, and we must have the capacity to analyse them.” Ms Taibou Diallo, Adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of Environment and Natural Resources, underlined the regional scope of the process and the central role of local communities. For Mr Ousmane Fall Sarr, Coordinator of the Alliance, the purpose of the framework is clear: “Carbon markets must first benefit the people of Guinea, particularly the communities whose livelihoods depend on forests, land and energy.”

Technical sessions began with the fundamentals of Article 6: how Articles 6.2, 6.4 and 6.8 work, the principle of corresponding adjustments and alignment with the NDC. These notions have very concrete consequences for the State. Authorising a carbon credit means committing to remove the transferred mitigation outcome from the country’s own emissions balance. Participants therefore stressed a clear dividing line: reductions falling under the unconditional NDC target, which Guinea has committed to achieving with its own resources, are not meant to be sold. Selling them would expose the country to a risk of overselling. Discussions also highlighted the distinction between approving an activity and authorising its credits: two separate decisions that give the State two levers of control.

The institutional framework was then examined in detail. The draft decree provides for three bodies. A National Strategic Orientation Council, under the authority of the Prime Minister, will determine the share of NDC commitments that may be achieved through carbon markets. The Cellule Marché Carbone, as Designated National Authority, will issue authorisations and maintain the national registry. The National Committee on Climate Change will play an advisory role. The roadmap proposes to organise the Cellule around a Supervisory Board, a Technical Committee and a Permanent Secretariat. It sets out clear procedures, from the project idea note to the letter of approval, and a funding model combining the national budget, administrative fees and international cooperation.

The final day, led in particular by Fanta C. Diop, Francophone Expert with the Alliance, and Kaja Weldner, consultant at Perspectives Climate Group, moved the discussion from principles to practice. Working in sectoral groups (energy and transport, industry and mining, agriculture and livestock, forestry and waste), participants identified and prioritised the first potentially eligible activities. They also reviewed a three-year capacity-building plan and a 2026-2030 action plan in three stages: institutional structuring of the Cellule from 2026, the establishment of a complete operational framework in 2026-2027, and the anchoring of Article 6 in national law by 2030.

On the sidelines of the workshop, Mr Fassou Théa, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, received the Alliance delegation. Discussions focused on Guinea’s carbon market potential and the conditions needed to make the most of it. The Alliance reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the country in establishing the Cellule, building capacity and mobilising partners. The Minister welcomed these proposals and expressed the Ministry’s openness to continuing this collaboration.

The input gathered over these three days will feed into the consolidated version of the roadmap, which will be submitted to the Designated National Authority. Guinea now has a solid foundation on which to structure its engagement in carbon markets with rigour, transparency and for the benefit of its people.