SADC, with support from the German Government, through the GIZ GmbH and Global Water Partnership Southern Africa will host the SADC Resource Mobilisation and Transboundary Water Investment

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation of the Republic of Zambia, and with the support from the German government through the SADC GIZ Transboundary Water Management (TWM) project and the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), will host the SADC Resource Mobilisation and Transboundary Water Investment Workshop in Lusaka, Zambia from 24 to 25 July 2025. 

The event will be held under the theme: “Scaling Up Transboundary Water Investments & Resource Mobilisation to Unlock Economic Growth, Industrial Transformation and Climate Resilience in the SADC.”

The primary objective of the workshop is to validate the Draft Resource Mobilisation Plan for the SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Management. The validation exercise aims to ensure that the plan aligns with strategic goals and priorities, is feasible, and is both effective and implementable.

In addition, the workshop will focus on enhancing cooperation, capacity building, and financing mechanisms for shared water resources. It also aims to strengthen resource mobilisation capacities, provide participants with practical tools and strategies for securing funding for transboundary water projects, and improve the financial landscape for water investments through public, private, and international funding sources.

Currently, the SADC region is implementing the fifth phase of the Regional Strategic Action Plan on Integrated Water Resources Management and Development (RSAP V: 2021–2025), which was adopted by SADC Ministers of Water in December 2021. The plan has an estimated financing need of €100 million. The RSAP V emphasises the importance of a dedicated and strategic Resource Mobilisation Plan to support its effective and sustainable implementation. This plan, developed with support from the SADC Transboundary Water Management (TWM) project, is intended to serve not only the current RSAP V but also future RSAPs, thereby contributing to long-term water security across the SADC region.

The Resource Mobilisation Plan includes a detailed funding landscape analysis, a gap assessment, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The plan is founded on four strategic pillars: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM); Transformative Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus Approaches; the Conjunctive Use of Surface and Groundwater; and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Principles.

The validation exercise builds on the outcomes of previous meetings of the SADC Water Resources Technical Committee (WRTC), including reviews of the draft Resource Mobilisation Plan held alongside the Regional Water Policy reviews in December 2024 and April 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.