COMIFAC: The Governance Architecture Behind the Congo Basin Forests

When a carbon project developer seeks a Letter of Authorization in Cameroon, or when an institutional buyer evaluates the permanence risk of a Congolese REDD+ credit, they are interacting — often without knowing it — with a governance framework that extends well beyond national borders. The Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) is the intergovernmental institution that coordinates forest policy across the entire Congo Basin. Understanding its architecture is essential for navigating the region's carbon market.

What COMIFAC Is

Formally established by the Brazzaville Treaty in 2005, COMIFAC brings together ten member states: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Chad. Its supreme body is the Summit of Heads of State, which meets to adopt major orientations. The Council of Ministers responsible for Forests meets annually. The Executive Secretariat, based in Yaoundé (Cameroon), handles implementation.

COMIFAC has no coercive power over member states — it operates on the principle of consensus and voluntary coordination. But it constitutes the normative reference framework for national forest policies in the region, and its positions are carried into UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC, COP) through a unified voice from member countries.

The Convergence Plan: The Normative Framework

COMIFAC's primary policy instrument is its ten-year Convergence Plan, which sets common priorities for sustainable forest management and REDD+. The third Convergence Plan (2021–2030) identifies six priorities: conservation and sustainable management of forests; reduction of deforestation and degradation; development of forest value chains; valuation of ecosystem services (including carbon markets); forest governance; and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

This is the framework within which each member country's national REDD+ strategy is embedded. A carbon project in Cameroon must be compatible with Cameroon's national REDD+ strategy, which must itself be compatible with the COMIFAC Convergence Plan. This three-level coherence (project → national → regional) is what auditors verify during CCB or VCS validation for Central African projects.

The Congo Basin Forest Partnership

COMIFAC is closely linked to the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), the multilateral mechanism for financing and coordinating international donors (European Union, United States via USAID, Germany via KfW, United Kingdom, Japan) with member countries. Created in 2002 at the United States' initiative during the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, the CBFP channels conservation financing to COMIFAC member states.

For project developers, understanding CBFP-funded programs in their operating areas is crucial: some pre-existing programs may constitute reference scenarios for REDD+ calculations, or conversely, may conflict with demonstrating additionality.

COMIFAC and Carbon Markets

Since 2010, COMIFAC has developed a clear institutional position on voluntary carbon markets and Article 6. Its Regional REDD+ Working Group coordinates member country positions in UNFCCC negotiations and ensures harmonization of national rules to prevent double counting between neighboring countries.

A concrete challenge: transboundary forests. The Dja forest in Cameroon borders the Sangha in Republic of Congo and the Dzanga-Sangha National Park in Central African Republic. A REDD+ project in this zone must account for potential deforestation scenarios in neighboring border areas to avoid leakage problems. COMIFAC provides the harmonization framework for these calculations across member states.

COMIFAC also works with the Verra Secretariat to develop guidance specific to REDD+ methodologies applicable in Central Africa — particularly on reference scenarios (baselines) that account for the particular dynamics of deforestation in the Congo Basin.

Practical Implications for Investors

First point: COMIFAC is an institutional credibility signal. A carbon project in Cameroon operating in compliance with the national REDD+ strategy — itself aligned with the COMIFAC Convergence Plan — commands a higher level of legitimacy in the eyes of demanding institutional buyers.

Second point: regional governance risks. If a COMIFAC member state unilaterally modifies its permanence or land tenure rules, this can affect projects in neighboring countries. Investors must monitor political developments not only in Cameroon but across the Congo Basin.

Third point: co-financing opportunities. Programs funded by the CBFP (notably funds managed by the African Development Bank and World Bank in the region) can co-finance social and biodiversity components of private projects, reducing CCB certification costs. Identifying available co-financing is part of optimal project structuring.

COMIFAC is not an institution visible from international carbon markets — but it constitutes the foundation without which no serious REDD+ project in the Congo Basin can sustainably operate.