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Southern Africa

NEXT STEPS

SADC‑GMI has improved its financial sustainability, establishing The project will continue to improve citizen science by conducting
a one‑year reserve fund of about US$360,000. In collaboration participatory research to draw out the knowledge of communities
with such strategic partners as the International Union for about the value of biodiversity, which will facilitate testing new
Conservation of Nature, Food and Agriculture Organization, IWMI, solutions to key regional groundwater challenges. Both the
International Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Water participation of communities and biodiversity considerations are
Partnership Southern Africa, and the United Nations Convention to integral to ongoing studies focusing on transboundary cooperation,

Combat Desertification, SADC-GMI is seeking about US$30 million including the Shire TBA groundwater assessment study, Songwe
in grant funding to sustain its work. River Basin Commission hydro-census study, INMACOM hydro-
census study, and Coastal Sedimentary Aquifer IV (Angola/Namibia)
The project plans to continue training NFGs to improve their TBA studies.
functionality including by rolling out the implementation
plan that emerged from the National Stakeholder Dialogues The SADC Regional Water Policy of 2005 was revised, and the
convened by the NFGs. The dialogues bring together national new SADC Regional Water Policy of 2025 was expected to be
groundwater stakeholders to raise awareness and advocate for approved by the SADC Council of Ministers in August 2025.
the sustainable use of groundwater resources. In the process
of convening such dialogues, the NFGs get stronger through During the extension of the project, whose approval is underway,
collaboration and partnerships. work will focus on completion of the sub‑grant projects. Seven
are completed and, by the project’s new end date, a total of 37
Three more basin groundwater strategic action plans to projects are expected to be completed. The work to develop the
be created with the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save Watercourses Tuli-Karoo joint strategic action plan will continue. In addition,
Commission, the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water other joint strategic action plans will be developed for the Karoo
Commission (OKACOM), and ZAMCOM. These are in addition Sedimentary Aquifer (Lesotho & South Africa) and the Sedimentary
to a strategic action plan already completed with Limpopo Basin VI Aquifer (Mozambique & South Africa).
Watercourse Commission. The project also plans to complete
the ongoing detailed groundwater assessment study in the Shire
Transboundary Aquifer shared between Malawi and Mozambique.

SADC-GMI, SADC Secretariat, and the World Bank delivering Life-Changing Water Project to Buigiri School for
the Blind, in Dodoma, Tanzania June 2025. ©SADC-GMI
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