Staff Reporter
Swakopmund-Namibia is set to attend discussions on the sharing of the Zambezi River with other countries that depend on the river. The two-day meeting is scheduled to start today [Friday] in Swakopmund. On the agenda is the management of infrastructure development of watercourses.
Namibia shares the Zambezi River with Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Together the countries have formed a water commission called the Zambezi Water Commission (Zamcom), which was established in 2014.
The commission promotes and coordinates the cooperative management and development of the Zambezi River. The forum was established to promote the equitable and reasonable utilisation of the water resources of the Zambezi Watercourse as well as the efficient management and sustainable development thereof.
Hence, a high-level delegation consisting of ministers and officials from the eight countries will discuss a development plan comprising a general planning tool and process for the identification, categorisation and prioritisation of projects and programmes for the efficient management and sustainable development of the Zambezi Watercourse.
“This year’s meeting will focus on the adoption of policies and decisions and provide necessary guidance on the promotion, support, and coordination of the efficient management and sustainable development of the water resources of the Zambezi Watercourse,” said the statement announcing the meeting.
The meeting will also discuss some of the major projects being implemented such as the development of the Strategic Plan for the Zambezi Watercourse. The plan will lay a firm foundation for more systematic, cooperative and tangible investments aimed at addressing the emerging socio-economic and climate-related challenges in the basin and the region in an efficient and sustainable manner.