Carbon trading offers new green economic opportunities for Zimbabwe

ZIMBABWE has significant opportunities to benefit from carbon trading through climate-friendly projects such as renewable energy, afforestation and sustainable agriculture, an official has said.

Mr Kwanele Hlabangana, executive chairman of The ClimatePreneur, said carbon credits could unlock funding for green initiatives while helping the country contribute to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In a recent interview, Mr Hlabangana explained that the global carbon trading system is anchored on the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, a landmark climate treaty signed by 197 countries to curb global warming.

He said the agreement encourages countries to work together through voluntary co-operation mechanisms that help them meet their climate targets.

“Everything that is done in terms of climate change is guided by the Paris Agreement, particularly Article 6.1, which allows countries to cooperate voluntarily in implementing their nationally determined contributions,” said Mr Hlabangana.

“These efforts are meant to promote sustainable development while ensuring environmental integrity.”
Under the agreement, countries must develop and submit climate action plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlining how they intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

These commitments are reviewed every five years.
Mr Hlabangana highlighted that carbon credits play a critical role in helping countries and companies meet these targets.

“A carbon credit is a tradable certificate representing one metric tonne of carbon dioxide that has either been prevented from being emitted into the atmosphere or removed from it through climate mitigation actions,” he said.

According to him, carbon credits function as financial instruments that reward organisations or governments that implement environmentally friendly projects.

These credits can then be sold on the international market to countries or companies that struggle to meet their emission reduction targets within their own economies.

“A company in a country like the United Kingdom may find it expensive to reduce emissions within its own operations. They may then invest in a green project in a country like Zimbabwe, which produces carbon credits that they can buy to meet their climate obligations,” he said.

Such projects can create a new green economy while attracting international investment into developing countries.
Mr Hlabangana identified several sectors that could generate carbon credits in Zimbabwe.

Renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, geothermal and biogas systems offer strong potential, particularly as the country seeks to expand clean energy sources.

Energy efficiency initiatives are also eligible for carbon credits, which include improved cooking technologies, efficient lighting systems, greener industrial processes and environmentally friendly buildings.

He noted that transport reforms could also contribute to emission reductions.
“For example, a city like Bulawayo could introduce electric buses for mass transportation,” said Mr Hlabangana.

“If we phase out diesel buses and move towards electric public transport, the city would significantly reduce emissions and potentially claim carbon credits.”

Waste management and bioenergy initiatives also present opportunities.

Mr Hlabangana said agriculture is another key area where Zimbabwe could benefit.

Climate-smart agriculture practices such as rotational grazing, improved soil management and reduced use of synthetic fertilisers could help farmers lower emissions while maintaining productivity.

“In fact, fertilisers can damage the soil; it is encouraged that farmers move towards organic fertilisers, which are more sustainable and climate-friendly,” he said.

Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, in a recent event held in Bulawayo, described carbon trading as “a pivotal avenue for mobilising climate finance, incentivising mitigation actions, promoting technology transfer and linking developing economies like Zimbabwe to expanding global green markets valued in the billions of dollars”.

The manufacturing sector can also reduce emissions through the adoption of cleaner technologies.
Mr Hlabangana said industries such as cement production could explore alternative methods that emit fewer greenhouse gases.

“New technologies such as green hydrogen, green electricity and nitrous oxide abatement can help industries reduce emissions while maintaining production,” he said.

Forestry and conservation initiatives also play a crucial role in carbon credit generation.

Projects involving afforestation, reforestation and preventing deforestation can remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“If you look at areas like Ntabazinduna and other surrounding areas, we can start afforestation projects there,” he said.

“We need to plant trees as part of a carbon credit project.”

Meanwhile, he emphasised that carbon credit projects must meet strict international standards, which ensure that emission reductions would not have occurred without the carbon credit incentive.

Mr Hlabangana said organisations such as The ClimatePreneur are working to build awareness about carbon markets through training programmes across Zimbabwe and beyond.

“Unfortunately, it is still a subject that is not widely known, even among the media,” he said.
“We’ve trained Parliamentarians so that when they debated the Climate Change Management Bill, they were doing so from an informed position.”