GEF Approves $9.45m Grant to Boost Climate Resilience in Zambezi Basin

The basin is home to globally significant ecosystems such as the Barotse Floodplain and the Zambezi Delta, which provide critical habitat, flood regulation, and carbon storage.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved a $9.45 million grant for a major regional initiative led by the African Development Bank Group to strengthen climate resilience, protect ecosystems, and enhance cooperative water governance across the Zambezi River Basin — one of Africa’s most critical shared freshwater systems.

The project will support integrated basin-wide action at a time when climate variability, environmental degradation, and fragmented water management are placing unprecedented pressure on the river system that underpins livelihoods and economies across Southern Africa.

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Lifeline for Eight Countries and 51 Million People

The Zambezi River Basin spans eight Southern African countries:

• Angola

• Botswana

• Malawi

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Tanzania

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

It supports more than 51 million people, providing essential services including:

• Hydropower generation

• Irrigated agriculture

• Fisheries and food security

• Biodiversity-rich wetlands and floodplains

The basin is home to globally significant ecosystems such as the Barotse Floodplain and the Zambezi Delta, which provide critical habitat, flood regulation, and carbon storage.

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Climate Change and Environmental Pressures Intensifying

Accelerating climate and human-driven pressures are threatening the basin’s sustainability.

Key challenges include:

• Rising climate variability

• Deforestation and land degradation

• Pollution and declining water quality

• Unsynchronised dam operations

• Fragmented governance across borders

Mean annual river flows have declined by nearly 20% over the past two decades, while recurrent droughts and floods increasingly threaten:

• Energy security

• Food production

• Ecosystem services

• Regional economic stability

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Strengthening Regional Cooperation Through ZAMCOM

The GEF-supported project will strengthen the capacity of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) and riparian states to implement an integrated Water–Energy–Food–Environment (WEFE) nexus approach.

This work aligns with:

• The ZAMCOM Strategic Plan

• The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses

Key interventions include:

• Basin-wide WEFE coordination guidelines

• Harmonised environmental and social assessment frameworks

• Climate-risk-informed decision-support tools

• Targeted Climate Risk Assessments

The project will also expand the use of the Zambezi Water Information System (ZAMWIS) to improve data sharing and joint planning across countries.

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Piloting Adaptive Dam Operations and Environmental Flows

To address growing hydrological variability, the initiative will pilot innovative approaches to improve dam and river management, including:

• Adaptive dam-operation rules

• Environmental-flow frameworks

• Balancing hydropower generation with flood risk reduction

• Protecting ecosystem needs downstream

These measures aim to reduce conflicts between water uses while safeguarding biodiversity and livelihoods.

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Innovative Financing for Sustainable Basin Management

The project will introduce new financing mechanisms to diversify and sustain long-term ecosystem and water-resource management, including:

• Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

• User-fee schemes

These tools are designed to strengthen financial resilience and ensure continued investment in basin protection.

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Inclusive Action Centering Communities, Women and Youth

Women, youth, and local communities will play a central role in project planning, implementation and monitoring to ensure socially inclusive and locally responsive outcomes.

Knowledge sharing will be embedded throughout, with lessons disseminated through:

• ZAMWIS platforms

• Regional peer-to-peer exchanges

• Cooperative learning among riparian states

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$9.45m Grant Expected to Catalyse Over $140m in Co-Financing

The GEF grant is expected to unlock more than $140 million in co-financing from:

• Beneficiary governments

• African Development Bank

• Green Climate Fund

• Climate Investment Funds

• UNCCD–Global Mechanism

• Private-sector partners

• Team Europe Initiative

These investments will be coordinated through ZAMCOM-led platforms to maximize regional impact.

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Supporting Global Environmental Benefits Under GEF-8

Together, these efforts aim to deliver lasting environmental and development outcomes, including:

• Improved water quality

• Restored ecosystem services

• Enhanced climate resilience

• Stronger cooperative governance of shared waters

The project directly supports the GEF-8 International Waters focal area strategy, reinforcing sustainable transboundary water management as a foundation for Southern Africa’s development agenda.

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“Working together, Zambezi riparian states are strengthening climate-resilient river basin management to protect ecosystems and secure water, energy, and food for millions across Southern Africa,” said Gareth Phillips, Climate and Environment Finance Manager at the African Development Bank.

“This project supports coordinated, climate-informed, and financially sustainable river basin management that underpins ecosystems and promotes Southern Africa’s development agenda.”