Kenyan climate-tech innovator Octavia Carbon is spearheading the use of Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC) to remove carbon dioxide straight from the atmosphere and convert it into tradeable carbon credits. Using Kenya’s abundant geothermal energy and naturally occurring basalt rock formations in the Great Rift Valley, Octavia’s modular devices can extract up to 10 tons of CO₂ annually—roughly equivalent to the annual absorption capacity of 1,000 trees. The captured carbon is either permanently mineralized underground or monetized through credit markets via a collaboration with U.S.-based Cella Mineral Storage, positioning Kenya as a potential leader in African carbon offset innovation.
Backed by $3 million in contracted carbon credit sales, half of which are already prepaid, Octavia is now scaling operations through its flagship Project Hummingbird, which will have the capacity to capture 1,000 tons of CO₂ per year once operational. If successful, Kenya would become only the second nation globally—after Iceland—to deploy a full-cycle direct air capture and storage solution. While some critics question the effectiveness of carbon capture as a climate solution, Octavia’s founders argue it is essential for removing residual emissions from heavy industries like steel and cement, where decarbonization is otherwise difficult. More