Global Water Partnership - GWP

Improving hygiene in response to COVID-19

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat commissioned a response project, aimed at promoting improved hygiene and sanitation at regional border crossings to curb the spread of the disease. 

The SADC COVID-19 Water Sanitation and Hygiene Border Post Project, being implemented with support from GWP Southern Africa, involved the installation of eight portable handwashing facilities at the Beitbridge border between South Africa and Zambia, and the Chirundu border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.  

Beitbridge is the busiest land port in sub-Saharan Africa, with about 15,000 travellers crossing the border daily. Following the success of the project, more wash boxes are set to be installed in other ports of entry in the region.

“Ports of entry play a critical role in enhancing regional cooperation and integration, which helps countries overcome divisions that impede the flow of goods, services, capital, people, and ideas. The large numbers of traffic in strategic border crossing have placed significant pressure for high standards of WASH services at these ports across the region, a situation which has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.”

Ms Mapolao Rosemary Mokoena, Director of Infrastructure in SADC’s Infrastructure and Services Directorate

Significant milestone to mobilise water investment

In February 2021, African Union (AU) Heads of State adopted the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) during the AU Summit in Ethiopia. The AIP was adopted as part of the second phase of the African Union Development Agency’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa Priority Action Plan.

GWP Southern Africa has been working to mobilise investment for water projects and the adoption of the AIP is a significant development. Over the next 10 years, the Programme will be a key tool in mobilising US$30 billion annually towards water investments, with a projected creation of five million jobs on the continent.

During the 9th World Water Forum in Senegal the International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa was formally launched. The panel has a mandate to mobilise investments in the form of finance and technical expertise for the water sector in Africa. 

Strengthening river basin resilience in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

A Data Sharing Protocol, developed in 2021, is promoting the sharing of climate information between Mozambique and Zimbabwe, to better manage the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save (BUPUSA) river basins.

The governments of the two countries, through the Global Environment Facility BUPUSA Project, have been developing flood and early warning systems for the three basins. They also finalised the Save Water Sharing Agreement, which sets the legal framework for the planning, management, and development of the Save River Basin. It is hoped that this progress will help both countries reduce the impacts of extreme weather events and increase community resilience.

2021 culminated in agreements that will pave the way for the establishment of an institution to support the two governments in the planning, development, and management of the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save river basins.

The GEF BUPUSA project is being implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and executed by GWP Southern Africa in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.