Gabon Sells About 6 Million Forest Carbon Credits to Germany's SEFE in Africa's First Sovereign Sale

LIBREVILLE — Gabon has agreed to sell about 6 million tonnes of forest carbon credits to German state-owned energy company SEFE (Securing Energy for Europe), in what Gabon says is Africa's first sale of sovereign forest carbon credits, according to Reuters on 4 November 2026. The deal turns the Central African country's long record of keeping its rainforest standing into a tradable climate asset, and it marks a new chapter in how forest nations seek payment for conservation.

The credits are certified under the ART-TREES standard and are eligible under CORSIA, the aviation sector's international offsetting scheme, Reuters reported. They are due to be delivered no later than the first quarter of 2027. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Gabonese government by the Gabonese Agency for the Development of the Green Economy, known by its French acronym AGADEV, according to a statement issued by the agency on Tuesday. The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

For Gabon, the sale is about more than one transaction. The country has spent years arguing that nations which protect their forests — absorbing carbon dioxide rather than releasing it through deforestation — should be paid for that service. For SEFE and for Europe, the deal arrives at a moment when energy security and climate commitments are both under pressure, and when buyers are searching for credits that can withstand scrutiny over quality and double counting. What the credits will ultimately be used for has not been publicly detailed, and the price paid per tonne remains undisclosed, so the full commercial significance of the deal is still, for now, partly unclear.

Illustration: An aerial view of Gabon's dense rainforest canopy in the Congo Basin. This is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of the signing or of any specific forest site.

What Happened

According to Reuters, Gabon agreed to sell about 6 million tons of carbon credits to SEFE, with the Gabonese Agency for the Development of the Green Economy signing the agreement on the government's behalf. A statement from the agency, issued on Tuesday, announced the deal. Reuters reported the sale on 4 November 2026, describing it as what Gabon says is Africa's first sale of sovereign forest carbon credits.

The word "sovereign" matters here. These are not credits from a single project or a single patch of forest. They are jurisdictional credits: they are issued at the level of the country, based on Gabon's performance in keeping its forests intact across its national territory. A report carried by ImNews, citing Gabon's national news agency AGP, described the deal as Gabon's first agreements for the commercialisation of jurisdictional carbon credits, and said the initiative is set to monetise approximately six million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Two features of the credits give them particular weight in carbon markets. First, they are certified under the ART-TREES standard, run by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART). TREES stands for The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard, and it is designed to credit emission reductions and removals from the forest sector at jurisdictional and national scale, with social and environmental safeguards. Second, the credits are eligible under CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, the United Nations-backed programme under which airlines offset emissions from international flights. That eligibility places the credits in a compliance market, not only in the voluntary market where most African credits have historically been sold.

Reuters also reported two important conditions attached to the sale. The credits cover the preservation of existing forest rather than new planting: Gabon is being credited for keeping standing forest standing, not for planting trees where none grew before. And the revenue from the sale will be held in a dedicated account until a national regulatory framework governing the distribution of proceeds, including to local communities, takes effect. According to the ImNews report, that framework is expected to include a benefit-sharing mechanism with local communities, to ensure transparent and equitable management of the resources generated.

One point the Gabonese side has been keen to stress, according to the ImNews report, is what the deal does not do: Gabon is not selling its land or its forests. Ownership and management of the national forest heritage remain fully under Gabonese state control, the report said, citing a spokesperson. The credits represent verified climate outcomes from conservation, not a transfer of territory or of forest ownership.

Background

Gabon's claim to a special place in the climate debate rests on a striking fact: about 88% of its territory is covered by forest, according to the United Nations Development Programme, making it one of the most forested countries on Earth. Its rainforests form part of the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon and the second-largest carbon sink in the world. The UNDP reports that Gabon's forests absorb a total of 140 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, and the country is home to wildlife including an estimated 60% of the remaining critically endangered forest elephants.

That forest cover, combined with a very low rate of deforestation, earns Gabon its classification as a High Forest, Low Deforestation (HFLD) country — a category that generally applies to countries with more than 50% forest cover and low annual deforestation. Figures cited by the Central African Forest Initiative put Gabon's annual deforestation rate below 0.1%, and other sources cited in research on the country put it as low as 0.08%. Gabon has also created 13 national parks since 2000, one of which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the UNDP.

Gabon is not new to the idea of being paid for forest protection. It was the first African country to receive results-based payments for protecting its forests from the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), a programme backed by mostly European governments, in a deal worth $150 million. A World Bank strategic roadmap for Gabon, published in November 2025, noted that Gabon's jurisdictional REDD+ programme under ART-TREES encompasses the country's entire forest area of approximately 23.5 million hectares, and that Gabon had already issued and validated more than 90.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in REDD+ mitigation results for 2010–2018, with further credits pending validation under ART-TREES for 2018–2022.

The buyer in this deal also has a distinctive history. SEFE, short for Securing Energy for Europe, is a Berlin-based international energy company owned by the German federal government. It was formerly Gazprom Germania, a subsidiary of Russia's Gazprom, and was placed under the trusteeship of Germany's federal energy regulator in April 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, before being nationalised in December 2022. SEFE now delivers around 200 terawatt hours of natural gas a year to industrial and other customers in Germany, the United Kingdom and seven other markets, according to company and public sources, and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide. Its core business — keeping gas flowing to European industry and households — is why a forest-carbon purchase by a gas company draws attention: it sits at the intersection of Europe's energy-security concerns and its climate obligations.

The wider African context is equally important. Reuters noted that most of Africa's carbon credits, which are mainly generated from forestry, land use and farming, are currently sold on voluntary markets. Anthony Nyong, the African Development Bank's director for climate change and green growth, made that point last year, according to Reuters. Africa's 54 countries have been among those hardest hit by climate change despite releasing a tiny share of polluting emissions compared with the industrialised world, Reuters added. For many African governments, sovereign carbon sales are therefore not only a climate tool but a question of fairness: a way for countries that safeguarded globally important ecosystems to earn revenue from that stewardship.

The CORSIA link is what lifts this deal above an ordinary voluntary-market trade. Under CORSIA, airlines from participating countries must monitor and report emissions and offset growth above a baseline. Only credits from programmes approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) can be used. ART is one of the programmes ICAO has approved, and in October 2025 the ICAO Council extended its approval of ART to supply credits for the second phase of CORSIA, covering 2027–2029, including credits issued under the HFLD approach. Guyana set the precedent: in 2024, ART issued 7.14 million vintage-2021 TREES credits to Guyana, the world's first credits eligible for use under CORSIA. Gabon now becomes the first African country to follow that sovereign, jurisdictional route into a compliance-grade market.

Why It Matters

The deal matters first because it tests whether forest conservation can pay at national scale. If a country can earn revenue simply by keeping its forests standing — and if that revenue reaches local communities — the economics of conservation change. Logging, mining and agricultural expansion all offer immediate income; standing forest has historically offered little. Sovereign credits are an attempt to close that gap, rewarding governments for the climate service their forests already provide.

It matters second because of the buyer. SEFE is not a small voluntary offset purchaser; it is a state-owned European energy company at the heart of Germany's gas supply. A purchase of this size by such a buyer signals that jurisdictional forest credits are gaining acceptance among large, compliance-facing buyers, and it may encourage other forest nations to pursue the same route. Other HFLD countries in the Congo Basin and beyond will be watching closely to see whether Gabon's model can be repeated, and at what price.

It matters third because of the questions it raises — and responsible reporting should name them. Carbon Market Watch, a non-governmental organisation critical of offsetting, has previously warned that HFLD credits carry a risk: because they are partly based on an assumed level of future deforestation that might have happened, a single HFLD credit may not always represent a full tonne of carbon dioxide actually kept out of the atmosphere. Critics of CORSIA more broadly argue that offsetting does not itself reduce aviation emissions. Supporters of ART-TREES counter that the standard's jurisdictional measurement, third-party verification and safeguards are designed precisely to address those concerns. The debate is unresolved, and it is one reason the undisclosed price and the eventual use of these credits will be scrutinised.

It matters fourth because of where the money goes. Reuters reported that proceeds will sit in a dedicated account until a national regulatory framework on distribution takes effect, including provisions for local communities. That sequencing is significant: forest communities are often the people who live with conservation rules most directly, and benefit-sharing has been a persistent demand in carbon-market debates. Whether the framework delivers meaningful, timely payments to those communities will be a key test of the deal's credibility — and, for other countries considering similar sales, a precedent worth studying.

Illustration: A seedling growing inside a green emblem above a protected forest, representing the concept of forest carbon credits. This is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of any real credit, certificate or forest site.

Finally, the deal matters for the climate finance gap. African countries have long argued that they bear disproportionate climate impacts while contributing little to historic emissions. A sovereign sale that converts verified conservation into revenue — if it is transparent, fairly shared and environmentally sound — offers one concrete, market-based answer to that argument. If it falls short on any of those tests, it will instead feed scepticism about carbon markets. Either way, Gabon's sale will be cited in climate negotiations and boardrooms for years.

What Happens Next

The immediate milestone is delivery: the credits are to be delivered no later than the first quarter of 2027, according to Reuters. Between now and then, attention will focus on the mechanics — registry transfers, any corresponding adjustment reported by Gabon under the Paris Agreement framework, and confirmation of how the credits are recorded so they cannot be counted twice, by both Gabon and the buyer.

The second milestone is the national regulatory framework. Until it takes effect, revenue sits in a dedicated account. When the framework is published, it should clarify how proceeds are divided between the national treasury, conservation programmes and local communities — and on what timetable. Communities, civil-society groups and market observers will be watching for detail, not just principles.

The third question is what comes next commercially. The ImNews report, citing the official statement, described this signing as a first step towards new transactions for the national economy, and framed it as part of President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's vision for a more diversified, sustainable and value-creating economy. Whether further sales follow, to which buyers and at what prices, is not yet known. But the fact that Gabon chose to announce this deal as the first of its kind in Africa suggests further transactions are intended, and other buyers may now approach Libreville.

For SEFE, the open question is use. Reuters did not report how SEFE intends to use the credits — whether for compliance, for voluntary climate commitments, or for customers — and the company has not, in the reporting seen for this article, publicly detailed its plans. That disclosure, when it comes, will shape how the deal is judged: a compliance-grade use under CORSIA would be read differently from an open-ended voluntary claim.

For the wider market, the test is replication. If Gabon's credits transfer cleanly, if the revenue-sharing framework is published and honoured, and if the credits hold up under scrutiny, other HFLD nations will have a template. If any of those steps falter, the deal will instead become a cautionary tale. Either outcome will matter far beyond Gabon's borders, because the world's remaining great rainforests — in the Congo Basin, the Amazon and South-East Asia — face the same fundamental question: who pays to keep them standing?

Illustration: European energy infrastructure with gas storage facilities and wind turbines at dusk. This is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of SEFE facilities or any specific energy site.

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FAQ

What did Gabon agree to sell, and to whom?

Gabon agreed to sell about 6 million tonnes of forest carbon credits to SEFE (Securing Energy for Europe), the German state-owned energy company, according to Reuters on 4 November 2026. Gabon says it is Africa's first sale of sovereign forest carbon credits.

What are sovereign forest carbon credits?

They are credits issued at country level — known as jurisdictional credits — based on a nation's performance in reducing deforestation and forest degradation and preserving its forests, rather than credits from a single project site. In Gabon's case, the credits cover preservation of existing forest rather than new planting, Reuters reported.

What are ART-TREES and CORSIA?

ART-TREES is the standard of the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART): The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard, which certifies forest-sector emission reductions and removals at jurisdictional scale. CORSIA is the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, the ICAO programme under which airlines offset emissions from international flights using only credits from approved programmes, including ART.

When will the credits be delivered, and what will the money be used for?

Delivery is due no later than the first quarter of 2027, Reuters reported. Revenue will be held in a dedicated account until a national regulatory framework governing the distribution of proceeds, including to local communities, takes effect. The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Is Gabon selling its forests?

No, according to the Gabonese side as reported by ImNews citing AGP: Gabon is not selling its land or forests, and ownership and management of the national forest heritage remain fully under Gabonese state control. The sale concerns verified climate outcomes from conservation, not ownership of territory.

Sources

• Reuters — "Gabon agrees to sell about 6 million forest carbon credits", 4 November 2026
• ImNews Africa (citing AGP Gabon) — "Gabon's Historic Carbon Credit Sales Agreement with SEFE", 4 November 2026
• Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) — "ICAO Council Extends Approval of ART to Supply Credits for Second Phase of CORSIA, Including Removals and HFLD Approaches under TREES", October 2025
• United Nations Development Programme — "Gabon leads Africa in the preservation and conservation of forests" (undated; accessed 4 November 2026)
• World Bank Group — "Gabon Strategic Roadmap for Carbon Market and Climate Finance in the Forest Sector", November 2025
• SEFE / public company records via Wikipedia and OilPrice — SEFE company background, nationalisation in December 2022 and gas-supply role (accessed 4 November 2026)
• Carbon Market Watch — "CORSIA: Hot air carbon credits cannot offset polluting planes", 27 March 2024