Stakeholder participation in the development of the Strategic Plan of the Zambezi Watercourse is critical in order to ensure ownership and legitimacy of outputs, products and outcomes in the context of sustainable cooperation. In line with this position, broad consultations were carried out with the Zambezi River Basin stakeholders in the Riparian States through the National Stakeholders’ Coordination Committees (NASCs) in April 2017.
The consultations provided a platform for stakeholders to provide input to the Situation Analysis and Strategic Direction Report (Deliverable 2 of the ZSP). The key outcomes of this process included (i) increased access to information to guide the development of the Situation Analysis and Strategic Direction Report; (ii) sound understanding of the challenges and opportunities at national level for each water dependant sector that would serve as pointers to the strategic direction that the ZSP has to address; (iii) common understanding amongst various sectors based on situations in other Riparian States; and (iv) national perspectives on the options for a strategic direction that the ZSP has to address.