The Africa Sovereign Carbon Registry Foundation is urging African nations to exercise their right to collect carbon contributions under the “polluter pays” principle. The foundation spoke this week at the second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa, where it was officially endorsed by the African Union.
Paul Sébastien, an international carbon markets expert and member of the Africa Sovereign Carbon Registry Foundation, outlines in three points the key takeaways from ACS2, the track record of Sovereign Carbon Initiatives, and how they fit into the International Maritime Organization’s upcoming vote on a proposed global maritime tax.
What are your main takeaways from this second Africa Climate Summit held this week in the Ethiopian capital ?
The clearest message from this second Africa Climate Summit is Africa’s thirst for climate justice. The continent is among the most affected by climate change while contributing the least to it — only a few percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Yet Africa now fully realizes it cannot rely solely on the hundreds of billions of dollars in aid pledged by Western countries during the first Africa Climate Summit in 2023, which are still slow to materialize. In the meantime, Africa must activate agile climate finance solutions that can be deployed rapidly while complying with international standards. This is precisely the essence of the “polluter pays” principle, reaffirmed by the 2015 Paris Agreement, which allows any sovereign state to require major greenhouse gas emitters — especially international shipping and aviation companies operating in their territory — to contribute locally to climate adaptation or mitigation efforts.
Several jurisdictions worldwide, such as the European Union through the EU ETS, already apply this principle. With the Sovereign Carbon Initiatives promoted and overseen by the Africa Sovereign Carbon Registry Foundation, we are bringing the same tool for climate justice to the African continent.
It was therefore logical that the Foundation received the African Union’s backing. This happened during the summit when AU Chair H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf reaffirmed “the AU Commission’s commitment to support the Foundation and accompany its initiatives to promote concrete solutions for climate action across Africa.” This is a strong signal for the development of a harmonized and standardized mechanism to finance sovereign climate action and climate justice on the continent.
The ASCR Foundation took part in ACS2 alongside Djibouti’s delegation. Can you tell us about your experience in a country so vulnerable to climate change?
Djibouti is where the ASCR Foundation was born, and it was the first African state to launch a Sovereign Carbon Initiative, in 2023. For the past two years, Djibouti has been collecting carbon contributions from international polluters in the maritime and aviation industries.
These contributions have already allowed Djibouti’s specially created Sovereign Carbon Agency to fund around fifty adaptation projects — concrete solutions benefitting the most vulnerable communities — as well as ecological and energy transition programs.
These projects include solar-powered desalination units to improve access to water, the modernization of a maternity clinic, the solar electrification of 24 schools, agroforestry programs, mangrove restoration, marine turtle protection, and plastic waste collection to protect biodiversity.
Each initiative is carried out in coordination with the relevant ministries, integrated into government action, and implemented with support from local communities and civil society. This ensures that every contribution strengthens Djibouti’s resilience and sovereignty.
Are other countries following suit? How do Sovereign Carbon Initiatives align with the International Maritime Organization’s proposal for a global maritime tax, due to be voted on next month?
Yes, other countries are following Djibouti’s lead — notably Gabon, which this year launched its own Sovereign Carbon Initiative by presidential decree and set up a sovereign carbon registry under the governance of the Africa Sovereign Carbon Registry Foundation to ensure compliance with international standards. Libreville has also created its Gabonese Development Agency (AGADEV).
The Foundation is now engaging with other African nations to familiarize them with this mechanism, to which they have a legitimate right, and which ultimately represents an act of climate justice that each of them should undertake.
This is the context in which the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will hold a final vote on October 14–15 on the creation of a global maritime tax. If adopted, this tax — expected to take effect around 2028–2030 — would be managed by a dedicated IMO fund to finance R&D for decarbonizing the industry. A portion of the funds is supposed to be redistributed to least developed countries, but as of now, the rules for redistribution and access remain unclear. This uncertainty explains why several African countries abstained or opposed the proposal during the IMO’s initial vote last April.
The ASCR Foundation supports the ambition of a harmonized international carbon pricing mechanism for the maritime industry and the IMO’s decarbonization objectives. But the Foundation also defends the right of African states — just like Europe under the EU ETS — to receive and manage part of these funds sovereignly for locally developed programs addressing their climate emergencies and the needs of their populations.
The Foundation seeks to collaborate with the IMO and industry to define a common, harmonized approach aligned with their objectives and interests, while respecting climate justice principles and Africa’s sovereignty. However, in the meantime, while the IMO mechanism would not come into effect before 2028, the Sovereign Carbon Initiatives promoted by the Foundation can be deployed in under three months, enabling countries to generate funding almost immediately. These Initiatives therefore offer a bridge solution until the IMO mechanism — if ratified — becomes operational.
