Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency, the Carbon Markets Authority (CMA) and the Forestry Development Authority presented the consolidated and validated National Carbon Market Policy to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on September 1, 2026, at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia. The policy gives the CMA exclusive authority to approve every transfer and trade of carbon credits generated in Liberia and establishes a National Carbon Registry, a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system, mandatory benefit-sharing and Free, Prior and Informed Consent rules.
The presentation is the penultimate step before signing: the policy has been validated and placed at the President's desk, but it is not yet law. Until the planned Carbon Market Authority and Liberia Sovereign Carbon Wealth Fund Act of 2026 is enacted, the binding instrument remains Executive Order No. 155 of October 31, 2025, which created the CMA. The full announcement is published by the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia.
Who controls carbon-credit trading under the new policy?
The Carbon Markets Authority becomes Liberia's principal carbon-market regulator, with exclusive authority to approve the transfer and trading of carbon credits. No credit may be generated, transferred or sold from Liberia without CMA approval.
The Authority operates multi-agency: the Forestry Development Authority provides technical guidance on forest-carbon initiatives, while the EPA oversees projects involving waste management, industrial emissions and designated marine and urban activities. A National Carbon Registry under the CMA will record, track and account for every authorized credit through unique identification numbers, with public access subject to legal and intellectual-property protections to prevent double counting or double sale of credits.
How are carbon revenues shared, and who owns the credits?
Carbon ownership generally follows legal ownership of the land, forest or resource from which the credit is generated, and the policy fixes two benefit-sharing splits depending on who owns the resource.
| Resource ownership | Project developer | Community or private owner | Government institutions | National social, education and health programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government-owned, after taxes and verified project costs | 30% | 10% | 20% | 40% |
| Community- or private-owned | 30% | 50% | 20% | - |
Government carbon revenues will be managed through the Liberia Carbon Investment Fund, separate from the General Revenue Account, while community funds will flow through accountable financial arrangements used in accordance with approved community governance rules.
What must project developers and MRV verifiers do?
Every project must pass independent verification of its emission reductions before credits can be issued or traded, and the EPA will lead the development and operation of Liberia's MRV system. The system measures greenhouse-gas reductions, verifies project outcomes and generates reliable information for national and international climate reporting.
Projects affecting community land or resources must obtain the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of affected communities and complete the required environmental and social impact assessments. The policy opens carbon projects beyond forest conservation to agriculture, renewable energy, waste management, transportation, industry, coastal and marine ecosystems, urban development and ecotourism.
What is the legal status, and what happens next?
The policy is presented and validated but not yet signed, so Executive Order No. 155 remains the binding instrument today. The Order, signed on October 31, 2025, requires the CMA framework to move into statute and sets the registry to stand up within 12 months of that date.
Two steps remain to convert the validated policy into enforceable obligations: presidential signature and the National Carbon Registry go-live. The planned Act of 2026 would then replace the Executive Order with a permanent statute. Liberia holds 69 percent of the remaining Upper Guinean Forest ecosystem and contributes only a small share of global greenhouse-gas emissions, which is why carbon-credit buyers, MRV verifiers and concession holders are watching the file closely.
Continuous, per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces this kind of validated policy the moment it lands at the President's desk, before signing turns it into binding law.
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Practitioners should now confirm whether their forestry, agribusiness or energy concession requires CMA approval to trade credits, map the benefit-sharing split to their land-ownership chain, verify their MRV and independent-verification pathway with the EPA, and track the presidential signature and registry go-live. Obsidian follows each milestone as it publishes.
