The Zambezi River Basin A Multi-Sector Investment Opportunities Analysis

Author

Vahid Alavian (Team Leader), Marcus Wishart, Louise Croneborg, Rimma Dankova, K. Anna Kim, and Lucson Pierre-Charles.

Description

The Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) is one of the most diverse and valuable natural resources in Africa. Its waters are critical to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in the region. In addition to meeting the basic needs of some 30 million people and sustaining a rich and diverse natural environment, the river plays a central role in the economies of the eight riparian countries—Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It provides important environmental goods and services to the region and is essential to regional food security and hydropower production. Because the Zambezi River Basin is characterized by extreme climatic variability, the River and its tributaries are subject to a cycle of floods and droughts that have devastating effects on the people and economies of the region, especially the poorest members of the population. The overall objective of the Zambezi River Multi- Sector Investment Opportunity Analysis (MSIOA) is to illustrate the benefits of cooperation among the riparian countries in the ZRB through a multi-sectoral economic evaluation of water resources development, management options and scenarios—from both national and basin-wide perspectives.

Publication date

2010

Document type

Report

Language(s)

English

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