CONCEPT PAPER | LEVELING THE FIELD: LOWERING THE COST OF CARBON PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FOR KENYAN ACTORS

Summarize the core issue: High costs of carbon certification are pricing out local developers.
State the goal: To map these costs and propose lower-cost, credible, Kenya-relevant alternatives.
Mention strategic relevance: Aligns with Kenya’s climate finance goals, climate law, and equitable participation in carbon markets.

Brief on Kenya’s carbon project landscape: forestry, cookstoves, reforestation, agroforestry, etc.
Rise of international carbon standards (Verra, Gold Standard) and cost implications.
Analogy to Rainforest Alliance suspension: Overbearing certification costs undermining producer value.
Mention broader global concern: African actors excluded from value chains due to compliance cost asymmetries.

Cost Barriers: Breakdown of project development costs - feasibility, baseline studies, MRV, validation, registration.
Exclusion of Local Actors: Many community-based organizations or startups can’t afford entry.
Unequal Value Capture: International buyers benefit reputationally, while project developers often see marginal returns.
Fragmented Policy and Local Infrastructure: Kenya lacks an integrated, low-cost verification and registry system.

To quantify and map cost components of developing carbon projects in Kenya.
To identify points of inefficiency, duplication, or inequity in the current certification pipeline.
To assess feasibility of local or regional solutions that can reduce cost while maintaining credibility.
To propose a roadmap for policy reform, capacity building, and local institution development.