Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council Dr. Yousef Alhorr,
Doha, Qatar: The Global Carbon Council (GCC), an independent and internationally recognised carbon standard from the Global South, launched the Energy Access Programme Standard in collaboration with the World Bank and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) during the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
Held at the Arab Climate Pavilion, jointly hosted by GCC and Arab League in the COP31 Blue Zone, the launch introduced a digitally enabled carbon crediting framework designed to mobilise high-integrity carbon finance for energy access projects, accelerate investment, and expand access to clean electricity and cooking solutions across Eastern and Southern Africa.
Developed and operated by GCC following its selection by the World Bank, the Energy Access Programme Standard and its associated digital platform are intended to support eligible projects under initiatives such as the World Bank’s Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Programme. Supporting Mission 300, ASCENT aims to provide electricity access to 100 million people and clean cooking solutions to 20 million people across more than 20 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The standard establishes a carbon crediting pathway for eligible off-grid solar systems, mini-grids, grid extensions and clean cooking projects. Its integration of digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (DMRV) is designed to improve the accuracy and transparency of emissions monitoring while reducing the time and costs associated with carbon credit generation.
Delivering the opening address, Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council Dr. Yousef Alhorr, (pictured) described the initiative as an important outcome of GCC’s collaboration with the World Bank, particularly in advancing digital approaches to carbon crediting.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Alhorr said: “Access to carbon finance should not be constrained by processes that take years to deliver results. Our collaboration with the World Bank on the Energy Access Programme represents an important shift towards more efficient, digitally enabled carbon crediting. By integrating real-time monitoring with credible verification and accounting systems, we are working to reduce issuance timelines from years to potentially weeks or days, where the necessary requirements are met. This can make a meaningful difference to the financial viability of energy access projects and, ultimately, to the communities that depend on them.”
Global Manager, Climate Analytics, Policy and Regulation at the World Bank Group, Giovanni Ruta welcomed the launch and acknowledged GCC’s technical contribution to developing the standard.
The World Bank estimates that providing electricity access to 100 million people under ASCENT could require approximately USD 15 billion. While public and multilateral development finance will remain central to achieving this ambition, mobilising private capital and additional financing mechanisms is essential to expanding access.
