A joint blog has been published on the value of the Zambezi by Nachilala Nombo- WWF Zambia country Director, Kathleem Dominque- OECD Programme Lead Financing Water and Andre Fourie- Global Director for water sustainability ABInBev.
The value of water manifests differently for different people and different communities from home and family life to cultural practices, business, health and wellbeing. These are incredibly important facets of the value of water. But it raises the question of whether all these individual reflections are sufficient to illuminate a broader collective understanding of the centrality of river and water systems to economies, communities and ecosystems.
Water is a critical resource for societies and economies and sustains life. Thirty-two million people in six southern African economies are dependent on the Zambezi river even so water is still continuously chronically undervalued the one time it gains attention is when it is running out or has caused a disaster which shouldn’t be the case. We are starting to see a shift in how water is being appreciated. Companies are starting to move beyond a focus on water efficiency behind their own fence lines to addressing watershed-level,water risks can impact their portfolios and government are working to improve water policies, infrastructure and management to drive sustainable growth and ecosystems heath.
Government struggle with constrained budgets and may lack the capacity to manage water resources adequately. Financers have a narrow focus on a pipeline of bankable projects and businesses are often focused on short term water risks rather than contributing to collective efforts to secure long term security. Building a resilient watershed, communities, economies and ecosystems over the long term requires that we seize the opportunity of raising awareness of the value of water and growing interest from investors and corporations action on water stewardship in a strategic way. What would bring value is an analytical perspective to individual basins and develop action frameworks that could serve as models and inspire businesses and governments to tackle shared risks.
Zambia presents a unique and valuable case study local case study for appreciating the value of water and the importance of addressing the emergent threats to water security. One of the fastest growing economies in Sub-saharan Africa a relatively abundant country, many of the activities driving Zambia and regional economic growth are crucially dependent on the Zambezi River Basin as well as other key sectors in the economy. Zambia is facing increasing water demand in line with a rapidly growing population and economy. Climate change has already begun to impact rainfall, droughts and floods this contributes to energy challenges and food security.
WWF and ABInBev have been partnering to address critical water related risks in Zambia by developing blended finance to encourage sustainable investment led by the private sector in order to transform landscapes. Zambian Breweries a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev is working with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Kafue Flats joint venture to deliver projects that address the current pressures on the kafue landscape, a sub basin of the Zambezi. WWF and ABInBev have provided support to OECD to develop the just published study “Strategic Investment Pathways: The Zambezi Basin case study” examining the critical nature of water resources and enabling environment for investment to drive sustainable development in the Zambezi Basin. The study outlines some of the key steps the Zambian Government can take to catalyze the scaling up of private sector investment in the Zambezi Basin in a way that contributes to water security, long term resilience and sustainable growth in the country.
The case study found that a strong legal and policy framework for water management to exist in Zambia, however the main problem being faced is implementation, the study is recommendations can be translated across borders. Firstly government need to improve coordination of roles and responsibilities and enhance enforcement in the already existing legal and policy framework, Government and public agencies can capture opportunities to strategically disperse existing funds to crowd in additional investment, Private sector can support governments in scaling up investment but bankable projects must be sequenced in a strategic investment pathway to ensure that investments are both bankable and beneficial to communities, the environment and the economy. Finally these strategic investment pathways and associated efforts should be expressly linked coordinated with the broader national development plans.
All actors such as public, private and non-governmental parties have a piece to contribute and a role to play. This case study from OECD provides a framework for the Zambian government, WWF and local corporate citizens such as Zambian Breweries has set an example to leverage water in the Zambezi as an enabler for sustainable, inclusive economic growth. ABInBev and WWF are committed to supporting Zambian led efforts towards sustainability for the future of the Zambezi.