Effective climate action using AI

Kenya is leading the way. The new National Carbon Registry could open the door for other African countries to enter international carbon markets. Together with its local partner Verst Carbon, GIZ has developed the new National Carbon Registry (NCR) for Kenya. It was launched in February 2026.

The lessons learned in Kenya are now being channelled into developing artificial intelligence. It is designed to create customised national carbon registries within minutes. In future, this digital solution can make it possible for countries to approve carbon certificates and transparently track their use and trading. Emission reductions could therefore be reported in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This makes a previously complex, resource-intensive process much easier. More African countries could also gain access to international carbon markets.

Kenya is considered one of the pioneers of climate action in Africa. Early on, the country created a binding political framework to reduce emissions and promote sustainable development. Kenya uses the National Carbon Registry to record climate protection projects and their CO₂ emissions are traded internationally. 

It forms the basis for a system in which climate action takes place where it is most efficient: project developers submit climate protection projects, which are recorded in the NCR following government review and approval. Emission reductions achieved can then be traded internationally as carbon certificates. Standardised and reliable project registration benefit both countries that sell, such as Kenya, and countries and companies that buy certificates.

Involving the private sector is a key prerequisite for achieving international climate targets. Emissions that are particularly difficult to avoid can be offset through emissions trading.

Legible climate data as the basis for using AI

However, the Kenyan carbon registry is more than a digital administration tool. It provides the structured, trustworthy data that AI needs. The registry pools climate data, allows state monitoring of sensitive information and therefore paves the way for automated verification processes, analyses and forecasts.

Carbon Registry for Africa

The next step is already under way. GIZ and its partners are further developing the Kenyan model for roll out to the entire continent with the African Registry for Carbon (African Registry for Carbon, ARC). In specific terms, they are setting up a freely accessible IT solution that is offered to other countries for use.

‘We are starting with East African countries because the conditions there are comparable,’ says Katharina Mengede, Head of Digital Economy at Digital Transformation Center Kenya. The result is a public digital asset that offers African countries a licence-free alternative to expensive commercial registries – modular in design, adaptable to national laws, but usable across borders. It supports countries in attaining their national climate targets.

The team is already thinking ahead. ‘We are working on an AI-based tool, ARC Studio, that develops carbon registries within minutes. In other words, it works in a similar way to ChatGPT,’ says Mengede. Instead of months of development work, countries could enter their regulatory requirements, responsibilities and data flows, and immediately receive a customised registry. The prerequisite for this is that laws and processes are already in place.

This is still a long way off, but the direction is clear: towards AI-supported infrastructure. AI in climate action does not start with algorithms, but with data organisation. If you manage data in a clear manner, you gain room for manoeuvre – for climate financing and for international markets.