DR Congo signs carbon market law and launches national registry plan

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has enacted a carbon market ordinance-law that creates a national carbon registry and sets the legal framework for voluntary carbon market activity. The move could help the country capture more value from forest and carbon assets while aligning its market with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Why it matters: - The new law gives the Democratic Republic of the Congo a formal legal framework for carbon markets and a sovereign record for mitigation outcomes. - The registry is meant to support Article 6 transactions and could strengthen buyer confidence in Congolese carbon credits. - The framework aims to narrow the gap between the value of Congo’s carbon assets and the price those assets have historically fetched.

What happened: - President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo signed an ordinance-law in Kinshasa on 7 September 2026. - Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka also signed the instrument. - The ordinance-law was read on RTNC on 11 September 2026 during Lecture des ordonnances présidentielles. - The law enters into force on the date of its promulgation. - The ordinance-law fixes the legal regime of the carbon market in the DRC and regulates voluntary carbon market activity on Congolese territory. - The law establishes the institutional architecture of the national carbon market and creates a national carbon registry described as the sovereign and authentic system of record for mitigation outcomes and internationally transferred mitigation outcomes.

The details: - The preamble says the DRC is a solution-country in the global response to climate change because of its equatorial forest, hydrographic network, biodiversity and strategic minerals. - The text cites the need to bring Article 6 of the Paris Agreement into national law. - The ordinance-law was issued under an enabling law adopted on 15 July 2026 that allowed the government to legislate by ordinance. - The framework also rests on the Constitution and on the 2011 environmental protection law as later modified. - Congolese media reported that the Council of Ministers approved the draft on 29 August 2026. - The country received about $55 million for 11 million tonnes under a World Bank forest programme reported in June 2025, or close to $5 per tonne. - Carbon Pulse reported that credits under Swiss Article 6 bilateral arrangements traded around $40 per tonne in 2025. - The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative estimated in 2024 that Africa supplies roughly 20% of global credits while receiving about 5% of the proceeds. - The regulatory body already exists: the Autorité de Régulation du Marché de Carbone, or ARMCA, was created by decree in June 2023 as a public establishment under the Ministry of the Environment, Sustainable Development and New Climate Economy. - ARMCA is led by Prof. Dr Marie Nyange Ndambo. - Lumière Credit Carbon Plateform S.A.S. is being built to serve the national registry function. - Lumière is a joint venture between La Congolaise de Gestion des Crédits Carbones, M&M Greentech and TRST01. - Information is published at More information. - The full text, including articles and annexes not read on air, is expected in the Journal Officiel. - Implementing texts and the rest of the institutional architecture are still to come. - The registry and its governance are expected to be presented officially at COP31 in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026. - TRST01 says it provides AI-native climate intelligence, digital monitoring, reporting and verification, and Paris Agreement implementation infrastructure, with operations in India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. - More information is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The law signals an effort to move Congo’s carbon market from fragmented activity to a state-controlled system with clearer legal standing. - The pricing examples suggest the main challenge is not only carbon supply, but trust, verification and market infrastructure. - The registry design points to a broader push to keep data, governance and value capture inside the country rather than relying on outside intermediaries.

What's next: - The Journal Officiel is expected to publish the full ordinance-law. - The government still needs to issue implementing texts and complete the institutional architecture. - Officials are expected to formally present the registry and its governance at COP31. - The outcome will likely shape how the DRC markets forest and mitigation assets under Article 6 going forward.

The bottom line: - The DRC has turned carbon-market rules into law and is betting that a sovereign registry can improve credibility, pricing and control over one of its most valuable climate assets.