Carbon Accelerator Programme for the Environment (CAPE)

CAPE prepares high-integrity, nature-based carbon projects in Africa for investment. It supports projects that have completed feasibility but lack the early-stage capital to complete the work buyers and investors require, such as community consent (FPIC), benefit-sharing agreements, biodiversity baselines and MRV. Successful projects repay at transaction, so the capital is recycled. Objectives: Build a pipeline of investable, high-integrity projects. Keep value with host communities through benefit-sharing. Connect projects to carbon buyers, investors and transaction support. Key facts: 312 projects assessed across three calls for projects since 2024 163 projects in the 2026 pipeline 3.4bn tCO₂e of carbon credit potential and 76.5m ha of restoration potential in the 2025–26 pipeline Every project is assessed against a five-pillar framework (counterparty, host country, ESG and impact, technical robustness, commercial and financial)

Projects apply through periodic calls for projects.

CAPE forms part of the Africa Nature Impact Fund (ANIF), with a separate project development facility available for CAPE within the fund structure. CAPE-supported projects can engage with any buyer or investor and are not tied exclusively to ANIF. Financial institutions interested in co-funding development capital or in the investment-ready pipeline are welcome to get in touch.

CAPE supports nature-based carbon projects in Africa that deliver measurable outcomes for climate, biodiversity, communities and gender, and it applies impact requirements as a condition of support. Impact objectives Biodiversity: restore, enhance and protect habitat and ecosystem condition, including areas of importance for threatened species. Climate: generate verified carbon removals and reductions that are sold to high-integrity buyers and contribute to host-country climate goals. Communities: share carbon revenues with Indigenous Peoples and local communities through structured benefit-sharing agreements, and support jobs, local businesses and household resilience. Gender: reach women as beneficiaries, workers and decision-makers, with gender action plans where projects opt in to the W+ Standard. Requirements Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from affected communities. Benefit-sharing agreements that retain value locally. Environmental and social standards aligned with the IFC Performance Standards. A biodiversity baseline and a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) approach. Reporting against a defined set of impact indicators, which are being refined with an ESG specialist. Every project is assessed on impact and ESG as one of five pillars, with an overlay scoring quality and impact. Satellite-based remote sensing is used to check project areas.

Project stage Feasibility study completed, with a need for early-stage capital to complete critical project development activities. Not yet financed for pilot implementation. Project type Nature-based carbon: afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (including agroforestry), assisted natural regeneration, agricultural land management, and mangrove and blue carbon. Location Projects in Africa. Host countries are screened for policy framework, stability, corruption risk, currency and tax, and sanctions and security constraints. Project developer Demonstrable experience, track record and financial capability, and satisfactory KYC checks. Carbon and technical A recognised carbon standard and methodology, with a credible MRV approach. Evidence that the project is additional and that its carbon estimates are realistic. Baselines and carbon assumptions are checked against published science and satellite data. Commercial A project that is, or can be made, investible, with a credible route to offtake and revenues. Selection process Projects are screened in stages: eligibility, investment readiness, commercial and risk assessment, interviews and a steering committee decision. Projects must be willing to repay the development funding at transaction. Projects must be open to sharing learnings through CAPE’s open-source platform.