Uganda's UpEnergy Secures Nigeria's First Corsia-Tagged Carbon Credits
Uganda-based carbon project developer UpEnergy made history in July 2026 by securing Nigeria's first Corsia-tagged carbon credits. Verra overnight tagged the developer's Social and Climate Impact Programme in Nigeria (VCS2673) under the country's national carbon framework, which Nigeria finalised at the end of 2025. UpEnergy holds a Letter of Authorisation (LoA) from Nigeria's National Council on Climate Change for 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) worth of Corresponding Adjustments under Article 6.
What "Corsia-Tagged" Means
Corsia — the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation — requires airlines to offset their emissions growth using eligible credits from countries that have submitted the necessary UN accounting reports (Biennial Transparency Reports). For a credit to qualify, the host country must have issued a Corresponding Adjustment (CA), confirming the credit is not being counted twice toward the country's own climate target.
Nigeria's LoA to UpEnergy for 3.8 million tCO2e is a significant supply signal: it makes VCS2673 eligible for Corsia Phase 2 (2027 onwards) demand, at a time when many African countries are still working through their legal frameworks. UpEnergy becomes at least the third Corsia-tagged Nigerian cookstove supplier, alongside Agasco and Burn Manufacturing.
Uganda's Role: Developer, Not Just Project Host
This transaction illustrates something important about Uganda's carbon market: the country is not only a host for projects but a base for carbon developers operating across the continent. UpEnergy's ability to structure, register, and obtain government authorisation for a project in Nigeria — while headquartered in Uganda — reflects the depth of carbon market expertise that has developed in Kampala and around Lake Victoria over the past decade.
Domestically, Uganda-originating credits are also seeing active retirement. In the same period, Ecologi Action retired 8,464 tCO2e of vintage 2024 Uganda cookstove credits (GS10967) — small in volume but confirmation of sustained international buyer interest in Ugandan carbon assets.
The Broader East Africa Picture
The timing coincides with Rwanda completing its Biennial Transparency Report — tagging "tens of millions" of Corsia units across five named projects — and DRC targeting its own BTR for November 2026. East Africa is rapidly building the legal and institutional infrastructure for Corsia supply. Uganda, with its strong project developer ecosystem and growing domestic project pipeline, is well-positioned to benefit.
Related: Article 6 in East Africa: How Uganda Compares to Kenya and Cameroon