The Zambezi River Basin: Challenges of Transboundary Water Governance

Throughout the period of independent development of African states, the peoples of the continent have faced numerous socio-economic and environmental adversities. Over the past two decades, these challenges have been compounded by the escalating crisis of limited access to clean freshwater, exacerbated by the accelerating impacts of global climate change. Despite Africa’s abundant water resources – including vast river systems, lakes, and wetlands – the provision of water for drinking, domestic use, and agricultural irrigation remains severely constrained across the region. This paradox is particularly evident in the Zambezi River Basin (ZRB), a transboundary hydrological system shared by several nations. While the basin is endowed with significant freshwater reserves, systemic inefficiencies in water governance at both national and interstate levels, coupled with a lack of coordinated resource allocation mechanisms, have perpetuated water scarcity and inequitable distribution among riparian states. To address this issue, the paper begins by characterizing the geographical and hydrological uniqueness of the ZRB, which ranks as Africa’s third-largest river system by discharge volume, trailing only the Congo and Niger rivers. It further examines the basin’s critical role in sustaining ecosystems, livelihoods, and economic activities across eight Southern African nations. The study then analyzes the institutional frameworks established by ZRB states to address shared water management challenges, focusing on the mandates and operational strategies of multilateral organizations such as the Zambezi Watercourse Commission and the Southern African Development Community, and evaluates the interplay of transboundary governance, institutional capacity, and adaptive strategies in meeting these challenges. The paper concludes that transformative cooperation requires transcending procedural formalism – exemplified by endless planning cycles and data collection – to prioritize adaptive governance, equity-driven policies, and community-centric solutions. Only by addressing systemic inefficiencies and entrenched inequalities can the ZRB balance development aspirations with ecological and human resilience in an era of climatic uncertainty.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  World Economy and International Relations

• Publication date

  Unknown publication date

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-11-96-107
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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