ZIMBABWE and several other Sadc countries that are part of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (Zamcom) have received a major boost to their nature-based projects after the governing board of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) endorsed US$143 million in funding for Africa’s Zambezi River Basin Region.
CIF will channel the funds through Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia while part of funds will be disbursed to Brazil and Kenya.
In a statement, CIF said the three country-led investment plans, part of CIF’s Nature, People and Climate Programme (NPC), would pioneer nature-based solutions for sustainable development.
These are also expected to generate almost US$1 billion in co-financing, with strong private sector engagement in restoring and protecting ecosystems, rehabilitating forests and enhancing wildlife habitats and biodiversity on land and in water.
Zamcom is a major river basin organisation in Africa which was established in 2014 as an inter-governmental organisation that brings together eight riparian States that share the Zambezi River Basin.
The riparian States of the Zambezi River Basin include Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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“The US$60,35 million investment plan for Africa’s Zambezi River Basin Region is expected to mobilise over US$10 in co-financing for every US$1 invested by CIF,” the statement read.
The programme is also expected to engage the private sector, promoting voluntary carbon markets to address challenges across eight priority hotspots, supporting sustainable forest restoration, high carbon stock protection, ecosystem restoration and alternative livelihoods for forest-adjacent communities.
“Land use planning will address wildlife connectivity and human-wildlife conflicts. In Brazil, Kenya and the Zambezi region, CIF’s Dedicated Grant Mechanism will additionally channel a US$15 million in funding directly to indigenous people and local communities, enabling them to implement community-led sustainable development projects.
“CIF's US$400 million Nature, People, and Climate investment programme supports the development of nature-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries.
“It funds initiatives that recognise the interdependence of land use, climate-change mitigation and adaptation, and the improvement of livelihoods for rural communities and indigenous people.”
Zamcom executive secretary Felix Mosi Ngamlagosi said the crucial step marked a significant milestone in their collective efforts to build a sustainable and resilient future for the Zambezi River Basin.
“We are setting the foundation for the implementation of nature-based solutions that will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change and human activities on natural resources.
“We are confident that by integrating environmental, social and economic considerations, the interventions will not only safeguard the region’s ecosystems but also improve the livelihoods of the communities that depend on them.
“This endorsement represents a pivotal moment in our shared commitment to sustainable development across the Zambezi River Basin and we look forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders to turn this vision into reality,” he said.
Ngamlagosi said the Zambezi Regional NPC investment plan was designed to benefit all eight riparian States with non-CIF eligible countries including Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe being financed by multilateral development banks including the African Development Bank (AfDB) and World
Bank.
“This ensures basin-wide impact with both direct and indirect benefits across all riparian States,” he said.
He said the CIF funding of US$60,35 million, alongside financing from AfDB and the World Bank, would bring multiple socio-economic and environmental benefits, including climate resilience and disaster preparedness, livelihood and economic gains, water security and sustainable resource management and carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.
