Rainforest Builder Sells 1.8 Million Carbon Removal Credits to Microsoft from Project Buffalo in Sierra Leone over 15 years
The offtake agreement is one of the largest carbon removal transactions in Africa to date
LONDON, 24 February 2026 – Rainforest Builder, a fully integrated tropical forest restoration company operating across West Africa, has signed an offtake agreement with Microsoft for its large-scale ecosystem restoration project in Sierra Leone, Project Buffalo.
Under the agreement, Rainforest Builder will deliver up to 1.8 million carbon removal credits to Microsoft over 15 years, marking one of the largest carbon removal offtakes from a single project in Africa announced to date. This large-scale, long-term agreement marks an important moment in the development of Africa's carbon markets and in the restoration of the Upper Guinean Forest.
Despite being home to some of the most productive and biodiverse rainforest on the planet, more than 90% of the Upper Guinean Forest has been cleared. Taking a science-led, community-focused approach, Rainforest Builder’s Sierra Leonean team has planted more than 1.8 million trees since 2023 to reverse this trend. In total, the project will plant over 10 million trees across 15,000 hectares of degraded community land.
The Upper Guinean Forest contains the greatest number of mammal species of any of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Many of the plant and animal species in the region are found only here, with high levels of threatened and endemic species. Given the trajectory of degradation in Sierra Leone, many of these species are now restricted to remaining fragments of old growth forest, which remain over less than 1% of the country’s area.1 Project Buffalo will create new, protected habitat for these species, which is critical for reversing biomass loss and boosting biodiversity.
Project Buffalo is expected to provide significant positive impact on rural economies in Sierra Leone. In 2025, the project directly employed 1,200 people, which is expected to grow significantly as the project scales. Beyond employment opportunities and community land leasing, the project has established a broad-based benefit-sharing programme, including smallholder agricultural improvement, road infrastructure, and a community development fund.
Under the stewardship of its Scientific Advisory Board, Rainforest Builder’s team of scientists actively collaborates with research institutions across West Africa, supporting broader restoration efforts in an under-researched ecoregion. The company conducts research trials across its projects to optimise site-species matching and forestry methods for accelerated forest recovery and ecosystem resilience.
Edward Stephenson, Co-CEO of Rainforest Builder, said:
“West Africa has experienced extreme levels of forest degradation, but the region has been slower than some others to attract the focus of global carbon markets. This landmark agreement with Microsoft is a catalyst not only for Rainforest Builder, but also for the crucial role that Africa – and Sierra Leone specifically – can play in global carbon markets and combatting climate change.”
“This agreement helps accelerate reforestation work, and carbon removal growth writ large, in West Africa. Project Buffalo is grounded in scientific rigor and supporting local communities, two priorities for Microsoft in our journey to be carbon negative by 2030,” said Phillip Goodman, director, Carbon Removal at Microsoft Corp.
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About Rainforest Builder
Founded in 2022, Rainforest Builder is a fully integrated tropical forest restoration company with operations in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Guinea, employing more than 2,500 people. Taking a science-led, community-focused approach, the company restores forest ecosystems while providing ecosystem and economic benefits to communities. The projects deliver high-quality carbon removals and biodiversity outcomes for corporate customers globally. Rainforest Builder’s four active projects aim to restore at least 370,000 hectares as part of the company’s long-term goal of restoring one million hectares by 2040. Learn more at rainforestbuilder.com. The future is restorable.
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- FAO (2020) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Report Sierra Leone.
