Antalya:The Global Carbon Council (GCC), in collaboration with the World Bank and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), has launched the Energy Access Program Standard during the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye. This initiative aims to enhance energy access for over 100 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa through a new carbon crediting framework.
According to Qatar News Agency, the launch took place at the Arab Climate Pavilion, hosted jointly by the GCC and the League of Arab States within the COP31 Blue Zone. The Energy Access Program Standard introduces a digitally enabled framework designed to mobilize high-integrity carbon finance, supporting projects that expand access to clean electricity and cooking solutions in the region.
Developed by GCC after being selected by the World Bank, the program supports initiatives such as the World Bank's Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Program. ASCENT aims to provide electricity access to 100 million people and clean cooking solutions to 20 million people across more than 20 countries.
The standard establishes a carbon crediting pathway for projects like off-grid solar systems, mini-grids, grid extensions, and clean cooking initiatives. It incorporates digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (DMRV) to enhance emissions monitoring accuracy and transparency while reducing the time and costs associated with carbon credit generation.
The GCC-developed framework addresses challenges faced by project developers, particularly those implementing smaller and geographically dispersed activities, by using digital data collection and streamlined processing. This aims to accelerate the transition from verified mitigation outcomes to credit issuance.
Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council, highlighted the initiative's importance in advancing digital approaches to carbon crediting. Giovanni Ruta from the World Bank underscored the standard's potential to convert energy access activities into transparent and verifiable carbon assets, strengthening traceability and cost efficiency.
The World Bank estimates that achieving the ASCENT program's goals could require approximately USD 15 billion, emphasizing the need for mobilizing private capital alongside public and multilateral development finance.
