Zambia, Biocarbon partners, strengthen climate action with NERPA signing
Zambia, Biocarbon partners, strengthen climate action with NERPA signing
By Hellen Bwalya
The Zambian New Dawn Government and BioCarbon Partners (BCP), a private REDD+ developer, have signed the Nested Emission Reduction Performance Agreement (NERPA), a landmark pact to advance climate action, sustainable land management, and community development.
The agreement formalizes the nesting of BCP’s projects under the Eastern Province Jurisdictional Sustainable Landscape Programme (EP-JSLP), aiming to enhance transparency and integrity in carbon credit generation.
The signing ceremony was officiated by Dr. Douty Chibamba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, who spoke on behalf of Minister Mike Elton Mposha, MP.
The EP-JSLP is projected to generate approximately 28.9 million tonnes of carbon credits. Revenue from these credits will be shared with 55 percent allocated to communities, 30 percent to private project developers (like BCP), and 15 percent to govern lolment and program operations.
The government has already secured USD 30 million from the World Bank for the purchase of 3 million tonnes of verified emission reductions.
BCP CEO Nicholas Mudaly called the agreement a “historic achievement” that integrates the Luangwa Community Forest Project into Zambia’s national jurisdictional REDD+ system.
World Bank Country Manager for Zambia, Dr. Achim Fock, praised the partnership as a model for public-private collaboration.
The event also included the presentation of dummy cheques and ATM cards symbolizing USD 3 million in community carbon payments to chiefdoms under the Luangwa Community Forest Project.
The agreement builds on 56 Chiefdom Emission Reduction Performance Agreements.
About The Author
