The KliK Foundation purchased the ITMOs directly from ACT Group, the activity owner. KliK Foundation’s financial support is pivotal in ensuring the activity's financial viability. This initiative not only exemplifies successful international cooperation but also sets a precedent for future climate action partnerships under the Paris Agreement.

For the first time, the measuring, reporting and verification have been examined and confirmed by Ghana and Switzerland which leads to the first issuance of ITMOs for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) use from a mitigation activity in Ghana. The achievement of this important milestone paves the way for the implementation of further Article 6.2 activities in Ghana and beyond by confirming the robustness of the established regulatory framework.

11,733 ITMOs purchased by the KliK Foundation were transferred in accordance with the bilateral climate agreement and credited to the KliK Foundation's account in the Swiss Emissions Trading Registry on 7 July 2025. The ITMOs will be used by the KliK Foundation to fulfil its obligation under the Swiss CO₂ Act. Switzerland intends to use these ITMOs towards its target under the Paris Agreement (NDC). To avoid double counting, Ghana has committed to adjust its greenhouse gas inventory by the amount of mitigation outcomes transferred to Switzerland.

The greenhouse gas mitigation activity with Improved Cookstoves (ICS) from project co-developer and implementer, Envirofit International, will improve the lives of hundreds of thousand Ghanaian citizens. Envirofit’s ICS technology reduces smoke and toxic emissions in individual households by as much as 80% and reduces cooking fuel costs by as much as 60%.

The ICS are being sold to agricultural sector members across rural and peri-urban parts of Ghana at a below-cost price, subsidized by carbon finance. The stoves are produced in Ghana and sold to households across the country reducing emissions daily. The project financing for the production and distribution of the ICS is provided by the Spark+ Africa Fund and offered in tandem with access to a revolving consumer credit fund provided through established Village Loan and Savings Associations. This product ‘buy-in’ is expected to increase adoption and usage rates, drive the creation of local routes to market, incentivize entrepreneurs, and support the creation of a sustainable marketplace.

The sale of the cookstoves is paired with product demonstrations and training that highlight the stoves' efficiency, emphasizing the economic benefits of reduced fuel consumption. The cookstove models are locally produced and distributed by Envirofit Ghana, driving the creation of hundreds of new jobs across the entire value-chain.

The Ghanaian government has included improved cookstove activities in its whitelist for carbon markets, identifying cookstove activities that are more advanced than business as usual as additional measures to those it implements under its unconditional NDC to the Paris Agreement. In addition, the greenhouse gas mitigation activity has been carefully designed to prevent the risk of over-crediting through Envirofit’s newly developed state-of-the-art usage and performance monitoring protocol. Surveys and kitchen performance tests have been conducted at a higher frequency than any methodology requires with a customized and comprehensive methodology to monitor stove usage and fuel savings. By employing advanced digital monitoring techniques, including thermal sensor data, to verify stove usage and performance, accurate measurement of emission reductions is ensured.

The activity also takes a conservative approach to measuring fraction of non-renewable biomass (fNRB), a key metric for abatement. Activity measurements are currently conducted using 30% fNRB by default. It can be adapted if i) updated and regional values are available and ii) both countries agree to the change. Any change to the value is at the sole discretion of both partner countries and will be based on qualified experts’ studies commissioned by Ghana and approved by Switzerland. The project documentation can be found here (Registered compensation projects abroad (admin.ch)).

Ghana and Switzerland are collaborating under a cooperative approach referred to in Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and signed a bilateral climate agreement at COP26 in Glasgow on November 24, 2020. This agreement regulates the cooperation between the two countries and establishes a legal framework for the implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation activities under Article 6.2. The agreement ensures that the mitigation activities meet the highest standards of quality, environmental integrity, SDGs, and human rights.

Ghana’s confirmation of the additionality of the mitigation project to its NDC, and its agreement to make corresponding adjustments to its national emissions registry, formed the basis for the authorization of the mitigation activity by both countries of January 31, 2024. With the Mitigation Activity Design Document and all required supporting documentation, ACT Group demonstrated to the Ghanaian and Swiss authorities that additional financing from carbon revenues is needed to make the project financially viable.

These first ITMOs, like all future ITMOs achieved with KliK Foundation’s financial support up to 2030, will be transferred in accordance with the bilateral climate agreement and used to meet Switzerland's emission reduction target under the Paris Agreement.