Collaborative push for Zambezi water security
A renewed push for regional cooperation in water management is gaining momentum as officials from Southern Africa, including Namibia, deepen collaboration within the Zambezi River Basin to confront growing climate challenges.
This follows a recent knowledge exchange in Uganda between the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), where 24 officials explored strategies to strengthen climate resilience and cooperative water governance across shared river systems.
In a joint statement, the institutions said that the Zambezi River Basin, which includes Namibia alongside Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Botswana, Malawi and Tanzania, supports millions of people who rely on its water systems for agriculture, energy production and daily livelihoods.
However, increasing climate variability is placing pressure on these shared resources, making coordinated regional action more critical than ever.
“The Zambezi River Basin, like the Nile, faces increasing climate variability that affects water availability, ecosystems, energy production and livelihoods across the basin,” said Felix Ngamlagosi, Executive Secretary of ZAMCOM. “Learning from NBI’s experience in basin-wide planning, information systems and regional programmes will help strengthen our collective response to these challenges.”
Drawing lessons
The engagement with NBI provided ZAMCOM member states with an opportunity to draw lessons from one of Africa’s most advanced transboundary water management institutions. The Nile Basin spans 11 countries and has developed systems for basin-wide planning, hydrological data sharing and coordinated investment - tools that Zambezi countries are increasingly looking to adopt.
For Namibia, participation in ZAMCOM is central to safeguarding its interests in the basin, particularly as upstream and downstream activities affect water flow, hydropower generation and environmental sustainability. The collaboration also strengthens Namibia’s ability to respond to droughts and floods, which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
The latest meeting builds on a reciprocal mission undertaken by NBI to the Zambezi Basin in 2024, reflecting a growing trend of peer-to-peer learning among Africa’s river basin organisations. During that earlier engagement, NBI delegates visited the Kariba Dam, one of the continent’s largest hydropower installations.
The Nile is the world’s longest river and supports hundreds of millions of people whose livelihoods depend on increasingly climate-stressed water systems.
With a drainage area of about 3.2 million square kilometres - nearly 10% of the African continent’s landmass - the river spans 11 countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Monitoring systems
A key highlight of the visit was the exchange of knowledge on hydrological monitoring systems, which are vital for forecasting water availability and managing risks. Officials visited a monitoring station in Jinja, where the Nile begins its journey from Lake Victoria. Insights gained from such systems are expected to inform similar efforts within the Zambezi Basin.
The delegation also examined community-level projects that link water management with livelihoods, including fisheries and water quality initiatives. These examples are particularly relevant for rural communities across the Zambezi Basin, including those in Namibia’s north-eastern regions, where livelihoods are closely tied to natural water systems.
The collaboration builds on an earlier visit by NBI to the Zambezi Basin in 2024, which included a tour of the Kariba Dam. These reciprocal exchanges highlight a growing culture of peer learning among African river basin organisations, aimed at strengthening continental resilience to climate change.
Funded under the Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Zambezi River Basin, the initiative is supported by international partners, including the African Development Bank.
