CHAMWE KAIRA
Zambia and Zimbabwe are among a group of governments that have signed the Aviation Carbon Market Compact, marking steps in efforts to scale up supply of carbon credits for international aviation under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
The two southern African countries, alongside the United Kingdom, Guyana, and Madagascar, have joined the Supporting Alliance for CORSIA Eligible Emissions Unit (EEU) Supply, bringing total participation in the initiative to 50 entities, according to the International Air Transport Association (International Air Transport Association).
In April last year, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) said it has achieved a significant milestone in its sustainability journey, with Hosea Kutako International Airport and Walvis Bay International Airport attaining Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Level.
Two months ago, the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority successfully hosted the official launch of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Feasibility Study, alongside an in-country stakeholder workshop in Windhoek.
The Supporting Alliance for CORSIA Eligible Emissions Unit aims to strengthen and accelerate the availability of high-quality emissions units needed for CORSIA, which is expected to require between 225 million and 250 million carbon credits by spring 2027.
It does this by coordinating technical and financial support, improving countries’ access to carbon markets, and helping align national climate commitments with the process of authorising credits for aviation use.
Beyond the five governments that recently signed, several other countries, including Peru, have expressed interest in joining the initiative.
The Alliance also includes a wide range of stakeholders across the carbon market ecosystem, from airlines and aviation manufacturers to carbon standards bodies, trading platforms, and data providers.
Key industry organisations such as the International Emissions Trading Association (International Emissions Trading Association) and the Verified Carbon Market Collaborative (Verified Carbon Market Collaborative), alongside partners like Sylvera and Airbus, are providing technical and financial support to the programme.
According to IATA, the initiative is designed not only to boost supply but also to strengthen coordination between market demand and national policy frameworks under the UN climate regime.
It also seeks to help countries manage the interface between their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the authorisation of carbon credits for use under CORSIA.
IATA’s senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, Marie Owens Thomsen, said the growing participation demonstrates “strong and shared commitment” across governments and industry actors to ensure emissions units can be delivered at the scale and speed required.
Supporters of the initiative argue that the development of a more structured and transparent carbon credit system is essential to enabling aviation’s long-term decarbonisation goals, while also unlocking climate finance for participating countries.
The Supporting Alliance said it will continue to engage new members, share progress updates, and expand collaboration across the aviation and carbon market value chain as demand for CORSIA-eligible credits accelerates toward the 2027 target.
