Socio-economic development and regional cooperation in the Zambezi basin

In 2010, with the support of BRLI, ZAMCOM carried out a comprehensive assessment of water resource development and management options through an investment opportunity analysis (MSIOA). The MSIOA provides ZAMCOM with an integrated planning tool for the Zambezi River basin, which is shared by eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It aims to evaluate options for water resource development and management through an analysis of investment opportunities. This is followed a few years later by a strategic plan for the period 2018-2040 aimed at identifying and prioritizing projects and programs to ensure effective management and sustainable development of the basin.

BRLI is responsible for revising the MSIOA based on new information and data on water demand, water supply, investments, institutional and legal frameworks. The update must also take into account the vulnerability of water-dependent activities to climate change for different river basin development scenarios. The updated MSIOA must be based on a broad consultation process involving multiple stakeholders from the eight riparian countries. The mission includes a review of policy and institutional frameworks to strengthen regional cooperation. BRLI must also assess the socio-economic impacts of declining fish populations in Lake Kariba and propose a sustainable management plan for the transboundary lake, as well as options to strengthen the resilience of communities, institutions, and biodiversity in the Zambezi basin to climate change.