Songwe River Basin Management Program
This is a bilateral initiative between Malawi and Tanzania on the transboundary Songwe River. The objective of this programme is to contribute to economic growth, reduced poverty, improved health and livelihood, while reducing the socio-economic impacts of the meandering river on the communities living within the flood plain, and ensure enhanced food and energy security for the people within the entire basin in the context of the overall sustainable and climate resilient interventions for socio-economic development of the two countries. This programme will finance the following projects such as construction of Lower Songwe Dam and Hydropower Plant, Irrigation and Drainage Schemes, Water Supply, River Stabilization etc.
Currently, the Secretariat is implementing a lead project called Strengthening Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Natural Resources Management in the Songwe River Basin which will run from 2019 to 2023. The project is being supported by a grant from Green Climate Fund (GCF) through African Development Bank (AfDB) amounting to USD6.4million. further, the Governments of Malawi and Tanzania each contribute USD1.0 million toward the Songwe River Basin Commission.
During the month of February 2023, the project facilitated the establishment of Tanzania National Stakeholders Collaboration Platform (NASCOP) – The Tanzania NASCOP was established in Mbeya on 16th February, 2023. The project also facilitated the review of Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis report; and reviewed the draft capacity building strategy report and submitted the comments to the Consultant for the final report.
