DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is positioning itself to become a leading carbon market hub in Africa by strengthening regulatory frameworks, transparency and investment mechanisms to ensure carbon trading contributes to economic growth, job creation and improved livelihoods.

The Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Affairs and Environment), Eng Hamad Yussuf Masauni, said this on October 22, 2026, when officially opening the Tanzania Carbon Market and Investment Forum 2026 in Dar es Salaam, held under the theme “One Day. One Market. One Shared Vision.”

Masauni said the government aims to establish an integrity-driven carbon market that serves as a key instrument for national development through job creation, increased community income, investment attraction, forest conservation and the promotion of clean energy.

He said the initiative aligns with the implementation of Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050, emphasising that the success of the carbon market would not be measured solely by the number of projects established, but also by the quality of their outcomes, legal compliance, actual investments and tangible benefits reaching communities.

“Tanzania has decided to become Africa’s hub for an integrity-driven carbon market, where every verified tonne of carbon translates into jobs for our youth, income for our villages, conserved forests, clean energy in our homes and capital to implement the National Development Vision 2050,” Masauni said.

He added that, under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, clean cooking energy is among the areas offering significant opportunities in carbon trading because of its potential to reach millions of households while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Masauni said the government recognises the potential of carbon market initiatives to link environmental conservation with economic opportunities, while ensuring that investments generate measurable benefits for local communities.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Carbon Monitoring Centre (NCMC), Kathryn Kigaraba, said the institution plays a crucial role in supporting the development of Tanzania’s carbon market through scientific expertise, sound methodologies, transparency and robust monitoring and verification systems.

Kigaraba said these mechanisms are essential to ensuring that carbon projects are properly recognised and developed, conducted transparently and generate benefits that contribute to Tanzania’s sustainable development.

She added that science-based oversight and transparent reporting would help strengthen stakeholder and investor confidence while ensuring that carbon market activities support environmental conservation and improve people’s livelihoods.