Harare – Zambezi Ministers of water are scheduled to meet in the resort town of Swakopmund, Namibia on 22nd February to transact Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) business.
The Ministers’ meeting will be preceded by that of Zambezi technical officials who will meet from 20 to 21 February to prepare for the Ministers’ meeting.
The ZAMCOM Technical Committee (ZAMTEC) meets annually before the Ministers’ annual meeting to review progress made by the organisation and to make recommendations for endorsement and approval by the Council of Ministers.
This year’s meetings will take care of ZAMCOM business including 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.
More specifically, the meeting will receive updates on some of the major projects being implemented. Chief among them is 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.
ZAMCOM is a river basin organization set up through the ZAMCOM Agreement by the eight riparian states that share the Zambezi River Basin. ZAMCOM promotes and coordinates the cooperative management and development of the Zambezi Watercourse in a sustainable, climate resilient manner. The eight riparian states are Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The ZAMCOM agreement was signed in 2004 at Kasane in Botswana and came into force in 2011. Zimbabwe hosts the ZAMCOM Secretariart.