AJA Climate Solutions (AJA) is a Singapore-based entity started with the purpose of commercialising the opportunities of carbon markets.
The company aims to generate and manage nature-based climate mitigation projects in Africa retaining oversight of the entire life cycle of projects in order to deliver transparency and accountability to all stakeholders. AJA has its foundations in 30 years of on-the-ground work in Africa on climate, community and carbon initiatives by the Nature Conservation Research Centre.
The name AJA Climate Solutions is inspired by the word ‘AJA’ is from the Yoruba language which means the Spirit of the forest and the animals living there. Yoruba is the language spoken by the indigenous people of southwestern Nigeria. Yoruba is a familiar language to the founders of AJA Climate Solutions – John Mason and Alan Hodges - both of whom were born and spent their formative years growing up in Nigeria.
Nature Conservation Research Centre. AJA works closely with the Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC), a leading NGO in Africa. NCRC is a leader in identifying and developing carbon projects that yield both economic and environmental success. Since 2007, NCRC has been involved in more than $500 million worth of nature-based carbon initiatives across Africa with financing from the World Bank.
NCRC’s accomplishments include launching some of the earliest and most successful projects in Ghana that formally involve the participation of local communities in the management of wildlife.
Known as Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA), these projects have included women-led organic shea butter initiatives and the production of climate-smart cocoa. NCRC is particularly well-known for leading the technical partnership to design the Bale Mountains Ecozone Project for FARM Africa and Oromia Regional State Government, which has resulted in over 11 million tonnes of emissions reductions transacted, and for facilitating a pan-African dialogue which led to the programs that positively impacted forest lands in Ghana and Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Coffee Forest Forum is an Ethiopian NGO with a 20-year track record focused on developing strategies for sustainable use and conservation of the coffee forests of Ethiopia.
ECFF is a highly respected and credible entity in the coffee space and has been an ongoing partner to the AJA-NCRC consortium since 2010.
Compassionate Carbon. Eden Reforestation is an American NGO engaged in landscape restoration projects to achieve holistic restoration and direct local partnerships and to generate substantive benefits for the local communities, regional biodiversity, and global climate.
Eden has a global track record in tree planting with approximately 1 billion seedlings planted. Eden has established a for profit partner called Compassionate Carbon which has entered a collaboration agreement with AJA. Eden has an Ethiopia registered entity that will collaborate with AJA and ECFF on projects in Ethiopia.
All of AJA’s projects are done with the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples.
FPIC is a concept enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We ensure that populations and communities are fully aware of and understand development initiatives planned for their lands (informed), that they receive adequate information well in advance of implementation, providing the time needed to consider and deliberate on the project (prior), and that any consent and contributions are given freely, without interference or pressure (free). This commitment differentiates AJA from many other organizations, companies, and governments in the region that lack the ability to ensure free, prior, and informed consent, or prioritise a speedy process over genuine engagement and ownership.
AJA approaches all of its work with a deep commitment to working with and supporting indigenous peoples and local communities. We make it a priority to ask questions, listen and collaborate with indigenous leaders and communities. This kind of community engagement is the entry point for successful conservation.
AJA will bring that unparalleled experience to building a pipeline of robust certified nature based projects that match clients’ requirements for new nature-based carbon credit solutions around the world.
Our approach is to bring all the necessary elements of a successful nature-based development in our trusted partnership including the following:
The project is located in the greater Kwahu landscape in Ghana’s Eastern Region where there is a highland and lowland forest system that borders the Volta Lake. The project will regenerate an estimated 100,000 hectares of degraded lands, restore the landscape’s biodiversity and transform it into an economically-productive ecosystem for the local indigenous population.
This will additionally create new income opportunities for the local indigenous communities through agroforestry practices training and job creation, and empower 22,000 members of the local community with the opportunity to actively participate in the farming system and improve their livelihoods.
Due to commence by Q4 2023, Phase 1 of the project will focus on restoring deforested cocoa lands, degraded forest reserves, and rewilding off-reserve forests across the landscape. This will be followed by Phase 2 in 2027 which will focus on regenerating native tree species across degraded forests at the Kwahu Afram Plains. The project seeks to apply new methodologies under Verra and align with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
This project is focused on the remaining Afromontane high forests of the southwestern portion of Ethiopia including areas of Gambela and Southwest Peoples’ regional states. The project aims to avoid unplanned deforestation and forest degradation across an area of approximately 750,000 ha. These forests are the genetic origin of coffee arabica and host significant productive coffee agroforestry systems.
This project is focused on high value niche coffee landscape of Sidaama Regional State in southcentral Ethiopia. The project aims to restore coffee farming systems to return high carbon, high biodiversity shade regimes across 100,000 ha through ARR interventions. The area holds rich biodiversity and high number of endemic and endangered species. This project provides a clear path towards a guaranteed no deforestation coffee harvest that will meet evolving international no deforestation market access regulations.
This project is focused on the greater Lake Chilwa wetlands and plains of the Southern Province of Malawi. The project aims to use ARR and Teal carbon interventions across an area of approximately 200,000 ha. This project will be the first Teal carbon project in Africa.
Designing, creating and facilitating nature based solutions to climate change.
Legal
Aja Climate Solutions Pte Ltd
(Company UEN 20223844W)
(Incorporated in the Republic
of Singapore)
Address
55 Jervois Road 07-02