BY. JIMMY KIANGO-DAR ES SALAAM
Approximately US$7.12 million, equivalent to almost 18.3 billion Tanzanian shillings, is expected to be spent on protecting ecological systems and strengthening resilience to climate change in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania, countries through which the Ruvuma River Basin passes.
The project, known as the GEF Ruvuma Project, aims to strengthen transboundary collaborative management of the source-to-sea system of the Ruvuma River Basin and its coastal areas to ensure the health of ecosystems and the security of people’s livelihoods.
Speaking about the project, which will also support sustainable and inclusive livelihoods for communities, the Project Officer from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Tanzania Office (IUCN-TANZANIA), Ng’walu Kidayi, said the initiative is a regional project being implemented in the three countries sharing the basin: Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Kidayi explained that the project is valued at approximately US$7.12 million and will be implemented over a 60-month period from 2026 to December 2030.
She noted that the project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the GEF implementing agency, in collaboration with Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) and Wetlands International Eastern Africa (WIEA), which are the executing partners.
“Regional and national institutions in the three countries will play a key role in implementing the project, with joint transboundary coordination mechanisms serving as the center of basin management and cooperation,” she said.
GEF PROJECT ACTIVITIES
The GEF Ruvuma Project will implement a range of activities aimed at strengthening integrated planning and management of land, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems through a source-to-sea approach.
These activities are organised into five main project components, including Strengthening institutional systems for managing the river basin and coastal areas across national borders and Supporting basin and coastal management through science-based decision-making.
Other activities include Supporting strategic investment planning and resource mobilisation for integrated basin and coastal management, Promoting sustainable land and water management through the participation of communities and stakeholders and Project management, knowledge generation, communication, and information dissemination.
Together, these components aim to Strengthen cooperation among countries in managing transboundary water resources, Protect critical ecosystems from upstream mountainous areas to the ocean and deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits to communities living in the Ruvuma River Basin.
INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION
To ensure the project achieves its intended benefits for communities living around the basin, project implementers began with initial activities, including organising an inception workshop aimed at establishing a formal foundation for the project’s implementation.
The main goal was to build a shared understanding of the project objectives, ensure that member countries and stakeholders actively participate and take ownership of the project, and introduce the project and its expected outcomes.
The two-day workshop, held March 4–5, 2026 in Dar es Salaam, served to introduce the project and explain the expected results.
Activities conducted during the workshop included Clarifying the roles of key stakeholders, Aligning responsibilities between the project team and partners, Providing a platform to affirm commitment to cooperation and Encouraging discussions and building a shared understanding of the project implementation strategy.
The workshop also helped introduce stakeholders to the project’s overall goal and specific objectives and expected results, components, and deliverables.
In addition, it clarified and aligned stakeholder roles in Project implementation, Decision-making processes, Reporting systems, Communication mechanisms and Conflict resolution processes.
The workshop also increased stakeholders’ understanding of accountability frameworks of GEF and IUCN, including financial management, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, Environmental and social safeguards and Risk management.
Participants were also introduced to and provided feedback on the Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Gender Action Plan, Monitoring Plan and Co-financing Monitoring Framework.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The inception workshop helped to increase stakeholder awareness and ownership of the project., Strengthen understanding of financial management, monitoring, and evaluation systems of GEF and IUCN and Introduce and refine the multi-year work plan and improved project budget.
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