Eight countries sharing the Zambezi River Basin have agreed on priority interventions to strengthen food security, livelihoods and ecosystems as preparations advance for a proposed US$130 million regional climate-resilience programme.
The agreement was reached during the first week in September during a regional workshop held in Harare, Zimbabwe, that brought together representatives from the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Global Mechanism and the Government of Zimbabwe.
The meeting served as a precursor to the appraisal mission for the Programme for Building Resilience of Food, Livelihoods and Ecosystems in the Zambezi River Basin (BREFOLE-ZRB), which is being developed as a major regional investment response to mounting climate, environmental and economic pressures.
The programme involves Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, whose economies and communities depend heavily on the Zambezi and its resources. The Zambezi is one of southern Africa's most important economic lifelines, supporting agriculture, fisheries, tourism, hydropower and domestic water supplies. It also feeds major infrastructure, including the Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams, while underpinning tourism activity around attractions such as Victoria Falls.
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However, increasing climate variability is placing these economic systems under pressure. Droughts can reduce water availability and hydropower generation, while floods can destroy agricultural land, infrastructure and livelihoods. At the same time, land degradation and declining ecosystem services threaten the basin's long-term productive capacity.
The proposed BREFOLE-ZRB programme is therefore designed to address these challenges through coordinated investments rather than isolated national interventions.
During the Harare workshop, participants reviewed the programme's technical design, proposed financing allocations, implementation arrangements, geographical priorities and environmental and social safeguards.
Engineer Emma Ndhlovu, Senior Water Officer in Zambia's Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, called for stronger ownership as the programme moves towards implementation.
"The time has come to move from programme preparation to programme ownership and action," Ndhlovu said. She urged stakeholders to translate the shared regional vision into tangible and lasting results for communities across the basin.
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For the AfDB, the proposed investment must ultimately translate into improved livelihoods and greater economic resilience. Dr Laouali Garba, Division Manager for Agricultural Research, Production and Sustainability at the AfDB, said mobilised resources should be converted into community resilience, food security, employment opportunities for women and youth and climate-change mitigation.
"We planted together, and we need to harvest together for the benefit of the most vulnerable communities of the Zambezi basin," Garba said.
ZAMCOM Executive Secretary Felix Ngamlagosi stressed that national investments must remain connected to common regional outcomes. "While the individual investments must respond to the priorities of each participating country, they must all contribute to common basin-wide results," Ngamlagosi said. He also highlighted the importance of coordinated action to respond to climate shocks, land degradation and declining ecosystem services.
SADC Acting Senior Programme Manager for Water, Dr Dumsani Mndzebele, welcomed efforts to coordinate investment streams supported by the Climate Investment Fund, AfDB, African Development Fund and Global Environment Facility.
