Financing Partner: Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Executing Agency: Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA)
Geographical Location: Zambia
The water sector in Zambia is highly vulnerable to climate change, with a range of impacts spanning from increasing frequence of droughts, increasing temperatures and increasing frequence of floods. These impacts have substantial knock-on effects on the agriculture, energy and health sectors. Climate change has had pronounced impacts on the most vulnerable, including farmers that are dependent on rainfed agriculture and residents of peri urban and rural areas where there is persistent scarcity of clean water supplies making the areas vulnerable to water borne diseases such as cholera.
The Zambia Water Investment Programme (ZIP) launched in 2022 by H.E Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia identified key priorities for advancing climate resilience in the water sector, which include enhancing long-term adaptation planning as well as advancing water savings technologies, strengthening the climate-proofing of infrastructure and enhancing preparedness for climate hazards.
In 2023, Zambia launched an overarching National Adaptation Plan (NAP) covering nine key sectors mostly impacted by climate change. The country also has sector adaptation plans in the Health Sector and is in the process of developing an Agriculture Sector NAP. These sectoral NAPs facilitate the move from the formulation of adaptation needs and plans towards the implementation of Zambia’s NAP. Despite these advancements, a significant gap still remains in the implementation of adaptation planning in Zambia’s water sector. The project “Advancing the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) Process in Zambia’s Water Sector: Towards an Implementation-ready Water Sector NAP” therefore seeks to develop a water specific NAP to address key remaining gaps in Zambia’s water sector.
About the GCF-Approved Readiness Project for Zambia “Advancing the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) Process in Zambia’s Water Sector: Towards an Implementation-ready Water Sector NAP”.
In February 2026, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved a Readiness Project for Zambia entitled “Advancing the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) Process in Zambia’s Water Sector: Towards an Implementation-ready Water Sector NAP”. This is a phase II project building on the overarching cross- sectoral National Adaptation Planning for a Climate Resilient Zambia Project (NAPCRZ) 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 Green Climate Fund (GCF) through United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) acting as a Contract Manager on behalf of GCF and the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) being a Delivery Partner (DP). The Project Management Unit (PMU) is hosted by the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation with implementation support from the National Designated Authority (NDA) under Zambia’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE).
Key Gaps to be Addressed by Zambia’s National Adaptation Plan for Water Security
Lack of a sectoral NAP for water: The Water NAP is expected to fill a key policy gap to enable the strategic implementation of key sectoral adaptation priorities and identify adequate mobilization of resources for the implementation of sectoral adaptation priorities such as those identified in the ZIP and overarching NAP. Without an overarching sectoral strategic document for the implementation of the priorities identified within the intersectoral NAP, the water ministry lacks institutional structure to guide the implementation of adaptation actions.
Lack of an intersectoral advisory group to guide the implementation of a water NAP: Currently, there is no body or institution that has an established group with roles and responsibilities that would ensure the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of a sectoral water NAP.
Limited capacity to develop and implement climate adaptation projects: Water sector stakeholders in Zambia still have key capacity shortfalls on adaptation concepts, particularly evident in the design of adaptation projects focusing on water and the use of adaptation finance in the water sector.
Limited capacity to monitor and evaluate the implementation of adaptation in water: There is currently insufficient capacity within MWDS to monitor and evaluate progress in adaptation in the sector as a result of there being no resilience indicators currently in place for tracking.
Limited use of climate information from existing platforms: The Zambia Meteorology Department (ZMD) has an existing information platform, but there are currently no procedures in place to facilitate information sharing for adaptation in water.
Limited engagement of the private sector in adaptation finance: Currently, there is no coordinated approach for engaging the private sector in adaptation and adaptation finance in the water sector in Zambia.
Limited capacity and knowledge in the private sector on climate change adaptation through water: Private sector stakeholders still perceive investments in water and adaptation as having high risks and/or low potential returns.
Limited financial capacity to develop climate finance concept notes and funding proposals: The water sector is increasingly being identified as a priority for building overall resilience to the impacts of climate change in Zambia. Despite this, there is currently insufficient financial capacity to advance identified investment priority areas to Concept Notes and Funding Proposals.
Limited capacity to track adaptation finance for water: Currently, there is no systematic approach for tracking adaptation finance in the water sector making it challenging to estimate progress towards the objectives of the NAP and to adequately report on financial flows going to adaptation.
Project Objectives
The objective of this 18-month 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.
This NAP Phase II aims to overcome key barriers identified on National Adaptation Planning in the water sector by:
Developing a water sector strategy that will serve as a sectoral NAP supplement for the overarching NAP launched in November 2023;
Enhancing the capacity of sectoral stakeholders particularly on the implementation of NAP in the water sector – specifically around mobilizing finance for climate resilience;
Enhancing the uptake of climate science in adaptation decision-making through strengthening an existing climate information platform in Zambia;
Building capacity for private sector engagement in water and adaptation; and
Enhancing resource mobilization and strengthening the tracking of adaptation finance in water.
Expected Project Outcomes
Adaptation planning governance and institutional coordination strengthened
Evidence produced to design adaptation solutions for maximum impact
Private sector engagement in adaptation catalyzed
Adaptation finance increased