Gold Standard Labels First CORSIA-Eligible Carbon Credits in Africa from Malawi

Gold Standard labelled over 1.5 million Verified Emission Reductions from a Malawi clean cooking programme as CORSIA-eligible, the first such project in Africa. The milestone demonstrates how host-country Article 6 cooperation channels carbon finance into developing-economy projects, a model relevant to emerging carbon markets.

Gold Standard labelled over 1.5 million Verified Emission Reductions from the Hestian GS11677 Biomass Energy Conservation Programme in Malawi as eligible under CORSIA's initial compliance phase. This was the second project worldwide and the first in Africa to achieve the status. Developer Hestian distributed energy-efficient, locally manufactured cookstoves to rural households, reducing firewood consumption and indoor smoke exposure. The achievement followed Malawi's formal Article 6 reporting to the UNFCCC, applying corresponding adjustments for the labelled credits.

Airlines under CORSIA, carbon project developers, and rural Malawian households are affected. Airlines can channel investment into projects that reduce emissions while improving wellbeing. Gold Standard concurrently approved a new insurance provider, Artio, joining existing CORSIA insurers Oka, The Carbon Insurance Company, and CFC Underwriting Limited; these policies mitigate the financial risk of double counting. The process improved health for women and children and freed time for education and economic participation in remote communities.

Host countries should take the early steps Malawi demonstrated, including Article 6 reporting and corresponding adjustments, to create a transparent and liquid global carbon market, as IATA recommended. Project developers should monitor newly approved insurance options, such as Artio assessed by Howden, to preserve credit integrity against double counting. Stakeholders should track expanding CORSIA-eligible supply across Africa and how high-integrity carbon finance can make clean cooking solutions affordable for vulnerable households.

Key figure — Credits labelled: over 1.5 million Verified Emission Reductions from Malawi's Hestian clean cooking programme