The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa in collaboration with Zambia’s Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation convened an inaugural workshop of the Intersectoral Advisory Group (IAG) under the project “Advancing the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) Process in Zambia’s Water Sector: Towards an Implementation-ready Water Sector NAP.” The workshop held from 24th to 28th August 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia was attended by more than 25 participants comprising representatives of government line ministries and agencies, financial and climate finance institutions and stakeholders, Direct Access Entities, development finance institutions, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, cooperating partners and development agencies.
The inaugural IAG Workshop among others aimed to finalize and adopt the Terms of Reference and Annual workplan for the IAG, validate the inception reports on strengthening use of hydro-climate data by key stakeholders in the water sector for adaptation planning and investment decision-making, and the inception report for the development of the water sector NAP and financing strategy. The workshop also aimed to review existing mechanisms and tools for tracking climate finance in Zambia’s water sector.
The workshop was officially opened by Eng. Mr. Romas Kamanga, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation who said the workshop marked an important milestone in Zambia’s efforts to strengthen climate resilience in the water sector and ensure that water resources, infrastructure and services can better withstand and respond to the impacts of climate change.
“The establishment of the IAG is particularly important because water is inherently cross-sectoral as agriculture, energy, mining, industry, health, environmental management and human settlements all depend on reliable and sustainably managed water resources,” said Eng. Kamanga.
The Permanent Secretary also emphasised on the need to strengthen mechanisms for tracking climate finance to ensure that resources are properly accounted for and that their results and impacts can be demonstrated. He urged the IAG to ensure that the Water Sector NAP should not become another planning document as its success will be measured by its ability to establish a clear and prioritised pipeline of bankable, investment-ready climate adaptation projects.
“Projects identified should demonstrate a strong climate rationale, economic and social benefits, environmental sustainability, institutional feasibility and measurable results. This will strengthen Zambia’s ability to mobilise additional resources from the GCF and other bilateral, multilateral and
He urged the IAG members to ensure that the development of the Zambia Water NAP maintains a strong focus on measurable results, including improved water security, increased resilience of water infrastructure, sustainable management of water resources, increased mobilisation of climate finance, development of bankable adaptation projects; and improved resilience of vulnerable communities.
The Zambia Water NAP project is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and is building on the overarching cross- sectoral National Adaptation Planning for a Climate Resilient Zambia Project that was successfully completed in 2023. This 18-month project, which officially commenced on 09th February 2026 is expected to officially end on 08th August 2027. The project is financed by the GCF through United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) acting as a Contract Manager on behalf of GCF and GWPSA being a Delivery Partner. The Project Management Unit is hosted by the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation with implementation support from the National Designated Authority under the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.
The objective of this NAP Phase II initiative is to advance National Adaptation Planning in Zambia’s water sector from articulation of the country’s adaptation needs towards the implementation of adaptation actions in Zambia’s vulnerable water sector. Specific objectives include the development of a water sector NAP (in the form of a Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan), building capacity of key water sector stakeholders on climate finance project development and financial structuring of climate adaptation finance projects, enhancing the engagement of the private sector, advancing the pipeline of climate finance projects in the country and strengthening the capacity of the water ministry for tracking climate adaptation impacts as well as climate finance.
During the workshop, GWPSA presented the findings of the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) for Climate Finance in the water sector that was conducted in June 2026. The TNA identified significant capacity gaps in climate finance across Zambia’s water sector. The highest priority was strengthening climate finance tracking, as it was consistently rated the weakest area across institutions, existing capacity, and training priorities. Capacity to develop and access Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects is also limited, with major gaps in understanding GCF policies, proposal development, financial structuring, and concept note preparation. These skills are essential for mobilising climate finance. The assessment further highlighted the need to strengthen knowledge and application of environmental and social safeguards, including Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS), Indigenous Peoples, prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH), and gender integration, all of which are mandatory for GCF-funded projects. Weaknesses were also identified in monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and climate finance tracking, limiting the sector’s ability to monitor adaptation outcomes and support evidence-based decision-making. Findings from the TNA will inform the development of a capacity development programme for climate finance and adaptation planning in the water sector.
This IAG Workshop also presented a platform for participants to appreciate the project ideas listed in Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contributions that have water-related adaptation measures. The Workshop also referred to project ideas in the NAP Phase I, which provided a broader framework for integrating climate adaptation into national and sectoral development planning. Ideas from the Zambia Water Investment Programme, which provides an investment-oriented framework for addressing water security and sustainable sanitation, were also presented. The presentation of water-focused project ideas led a foundation for participants to be introduced to GCF concept note development by participating in an exercise on Screening of projects for GCF investments and an exercise on Establishing Climate Rationale.
Participants during the workshop appreciated the current climate finance tracking mechanisms and tools in Zambia through a presentation made by the Zambia Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) that examined the role of climate finance tracking within Zambia’s Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system. The presentation emphasised that effective tracking of climate finance is important for understanding how much climate finance is being mobilised, from which sources, for which sectors and activities, and whether the resources are contributing to national climate change priorities.
ZEMA called for the strengthening of evidence-based decision-making, demonstrating progress towards climate commitments and improving Zambia’s ability to identify financing gaps and opportunities. The presentation by ZEMA highlighted the need for climate finance information to be systematically collected, verified, consolidated and reported across relevant institutions.
Another presentation by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MoFNP) on current climate finance tracking mechanisms and tools used in the National Budget in Zambia focused on climate finance tracking within Zambia’s national budget and the mechanisms and tools that can be used to identify climate-related budget allocations and expenditure.
The presentation highlighted the importance of integrating climate considerations into the public financial management cycle. Tracking climate finance through the national budget provides an opportunity to improve transparency, accountability and alignment of public expenditure with national climate priorities.
The Intersectoral Advisory Group will provide strategic, technical and coordination support for the development, implementation and review and periodic updating of the NAP, financing, monitoring and sustainability of the Water Sector NAP and related climate resilience initiatives in Zambia. The IAG serves as a multi-stakeholder platform that promotes coordinated adaptation planning and implementation across water-related sectors and institutions while strengthening national ownership, institutional capacity and climate finance mobilization.