Rwanda inks carbon credit pact with Singapore, is sixth country to do so since 2023

The landlocked East African nation of Rwanda has become the latest country to finalise a carbon tradingagreement with Singapore – the sixth such pact that the Republic has inked since end-2023.

The implementation agreement was signed on 6 May by Minister for Sustainability and the EnvironmentGrace Fu and Rwanda’s Minister of Environment, Dr Valentine Uwamariya, during her visit to Singapore.

Ms Fu – who is also Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations – noted that the carbon trading pactadds to Singapore and Rwanda’s “strengthened cooperation in forward-looking areas such asdigital economy and FinTech”.

Dr Uwamariya said: “Through this agreement, we aim to promote high-integrity carbon markets, achievetangible emissions reductions, and support sustainable development for our communities.”

Singapore has also inked implementation agreements with Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Bhutan, Peru,and Chile.

These bilateral pacts will allow Singapore to buy carbon credits to offset some of its greenhouse gasemissions, enabling the country to meet its climate targets under the Paris Agreement. Under theclimate pact, countries can buy carbon credits generated in other nations or regions to meet domesticclimate targets.
 

Singapore had earlier estimated that it would use high-quality carbon credits to offset about 2.5 milliontonnes of emissions a year from 2021 to 2030.

For example, the country’s total emissions in 2030 are expected to be 62.51 million tonnes and would bebrought down to its target of 60 million tonnes with the use of carbon credits.

These credits can be purchased by the Singapore Government or by carbon tax-liable companies.Such firms can buy carbon credits from projects in partner countries to offset up to five per cent oftheir taxable emissions.

Credits used to offset national emissions can be bought only from carbon projects in countries that havebilateral pacts with Singapore, formally known as implementation agreements.

Credits used to offset national emissions can be bought only from carbon projects in countries that havebilateral pacts with Singapore, formally known as implementation agreements.

Singapore is also progressing in carbon trading negotiations with more than 15 other countries,including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

The Economic Development Board has noted that Southeast Asia can be a trove of nature-based carboncredits since it is enriched with carbon-rich peatlands and mangroves.
 

However, Singapore has yet to sign any implementation agreements with Southeast Asian nations.

Observers say this is no surprise, given that African nations such as Ghana and Rwanda are slightlyahead in developing their carbon market capabilities, having entered this space earlier.

“Fortunately for some of the African nations like Ghana, the Swiss, and Singapore had helpedcultivate the capacity-building and legislation to build Article 6 policies, so as to allow these carbonproject-hosting countries to sell credits,” said Mr Alvin Lim, chief executive of local carbon projectdeveloper Climate Bridge International.

“The ASEAN countries are only now, over the last two years, going through that same process,” headded.

Carbon trading is governed under a segment of the Paris Agreement known as Article 6.

As at November 2024, Ghana had made more than US$800 million (S$1 billion) by selling carbon creditsto Switzerland and Sweden.
 

Separately, Chinese tech giant Tencent on 6 May pledged to buy at least one million carbon creditsfrom Temasek-backed investment firm GenZero over 15 years to voluntarily meet the company’s ownclimate targets. Such a long-term offtake agreement is rare in Singapore.

This is an example of how Singapore is garnering demand for carbon credits, which experts say is a keychallenge in the carbon market today.
 

While GenZero did not specify the types of carbon projects that will generate the credits, chiefexecutive Frederick Teo said this partnership will include nature-based and technology-basedsolutions.

GenZero is investing in a suite of carbon projects in its portfolio. One of them is a restoration project inSouth Africa, which involves the replanting of spekboom, a succulent native to the region.

It was previously reported that 10,000 hectares is expected to be replanted by 2025, removing more thanthree million tonnes of planet-warming emissions over time. This is equivalent to the carbon emissions ofmore than one million cars.

GenZero added that all carbon projects under the 15-year agreement will be verified under leadinginternational standards or the United Nations-managed entity – the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism– to ensure that the credits produced for Tencent are of high quality.

Commenting on this new partnership, Mr Rueban Manokara, global lead of the carbon finance andmarkets task force at conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature, said: “This move represents morethan a procurement strategy; it reflects a deeper shift towards long-term thinking in carbon finance.”

He noted that carbon markets face multifaceted risks, such as project development hurdles, marketvolatility, and evolving standards.

Hence, the long-term commitment helps to reduce these risks by providing stability and predictability toproject developers.

Mr Manokara added that a 15-year agreement reflects “a strong vote of confidence in Singapore’scredible carbon ecosystem”.

“As companies strengthen their net-zero commitments, they are increasingly seeking long-term, high-quality sources of carbon credits that deliver real, measurable impact,” he said.
 

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.