Arba Minch, Ethiopia | February 3, 2026 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in close coordination with the Ethiopian Ministry of Planning and Development (MoPD), has successfully concluded a nationwide consultation series for the draft Ethiopia Carbon Market Proclamation – an important legal milestone toward enabling Ethiopia’s participation in international carbon markets and strengthening access to climate finance. 

The final regional workshop, held from January 31 to February 1 at the Haile Resort in Arba Minch, brought together senior officials from 14 regional states and city administrations. The Arba Minch consultations capped an intensive month-long engagement process that also included a federal-level consultation in Bishoftu on January 5-6 and a multi-stakeholder forum with development partners and the private sector in Addis Ababa on January 23. Feedback from these sessions will inform revisions to the draft proclamation to ensure institutional clarity, national ownership, and operational readiness.  

This proclamation is a vital step in operationalizing the National Carbon Market Strategy (2025–2035). By establishing a clear legal mandate, the government and GGGI aim to position Ethiopia as a leader in the Article 6 framework of the Paris Agreement, attracting private investors and international buyers to Ethiopia’s green projects in sectors such as renewable energy and forestry. 

The proclamation provides the legal certainty required to bridge the significant funding gap in the country’s climate goals, which include a 68.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050. Technical specialists at the workshop emphasized that this framework is the key to unlocking investment in high-potential sectors across the Ethiopian context. 

The development of this proclamation is a flagship initiative of the “Enhancing Access to Climate Finance for Ethiopia” project. Supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by GGGI, the project directly addresses challenges such as limited access to international funding and improving transparency in climate finance management. 

By integrating the carbon market legal framework with broader financial reforms, the initiative equips the Ministry of Finance and other relevant actors with the technical skills to develop bankable project proposals. Furthermore, the project supports the rollout of climate and disaster budget tagging systems to enhance the quality of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). These efforts also include securing the Ministry of Finance’s accreditation upgrade to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for the USD 250 million funding tier, ensuring Ethiopia can effectively mobilize and manage increasing levels of international climate finance. 

Inputs from the three consultation rounds constitute a mandatory step toward submission of the revised draft proclamation to the Ministry of Justice. Following legal review, the document will be processed for consideration by the Council of Ministers. This inclusive and phased approach aims to ensure that Ethiopia’s transition toward a low-emission economy is underpinned by a robust, transparent, and legally sound governance structure, aligned with the country’s Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy.

Read more about the project here. 

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