DAKAR, Senegal – June 2, 2025 – In a significant move towards fostering regional cooperation in climate action, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, the Executive Director of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ambassador to the West African Carbon Alliance and Climate Finance, addressed participants at the West Africa Carbon Market Hub Workshop in Dakar. This event, held at the RIU BAOBAB Hotel, marks the second workshop of its kind, following the inaugural session in Ivory Coast.
The workshop gathered a diverse assembly of ministers, diplomats, and environmental dignitaries from West Africa. It aimed to enhance policymaker capacities and promote collaboration between project developers and service providers. Central to the discussions was the critical importance of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, designed to facilitate effective benefit-sharing and knowledge exchange in carbon markets.
Dr. Yarkpawolo underscored the pressing need for regional solidarity in building effective carbon markets, asserting that such alliances are essential for economic sovereignty. “In an era where multilateralism and international climate finance face significant challenges, it is vital that we strengthen our collaborations to innovate and address poverty in our region,” he stated.
Highlighting Liberia’s proactive stance, The EPA boss reiterated the commitment of President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr. to engage in carbon trading. This initiative aims to harness carbon credits for the conservation of Liberia’s forests and mangroves, which represent over 40 percent of the remaining forest cover in West Africa. Liberia’s ambitious five-year developmental strategy, the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), seeks to generate $8.4 billion, with the EPA tasked with securing a portion of this funding through carbon market initiatives.
The Executive Director announced Liberia’s progress towards achieving a 64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in comparison to business-as-usual scenarios. Despite contributing minimally to global climate change, he mentioned that Liberia faces severe impacts from its effects, leading to a focus on climate adaptation in its revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 3.0.
Dr. Yarkpawolo expressed appreciation for the ongoing support from the West African Alliance and its partners, recognizing their role in bolstering Liberia’s capacity to address climate challenges, particularly with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
In concluding his remarks, he called for a comprehensive platform for West African nations to access finance that could drive sustainable development and effective climate actions. He expressed optimism that the outcomes of the workshop would be transformative, highlighting the necessity for carbon pricing mechanisms that accurately reflect the environmental and social values of reduced emissions.
With the urgent call for regional collaboration resonating among participants, the West Africa Carbon Market Hub Workshop represents a pivotal step in advancing sustainable development and climate resilience across West Africa.
About the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance
The West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance is an initiative created by and for West African countries in 2017. Driven by the needs of its members, the Alliance aims to enhance the position of West African countries in international carbon markets, benefit from technology transfers, and access result-based climate finance for NDC implementation. Its membership includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
