Increasing global interest in national carbon pricing measures, and financial and political imperatives to introduce them, is driving active discussion in Africa on regional and country-appropriate approaches. A paucity of scholarship that is informed by a nuanced appreciation of the region’s specific carbon pricing context and dynamics means that the rapidly evolving African conversation is, generally speaking, unsupported by relevant analysis. In recognition of this deficiency, this study, commissioned by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and conducted by a South African and Kenyan team of carbon legal and technical specialists, is a timeous and important contribution to the African carbon pricing debate.