Uplocking innovative financing solutions for shared watercourses and biodiversity resources

Summary

LIMCOM Executive Secretary, Mr. Sergio Sitoe urged RBOs and TFCAs to continue working together to unlock innovative financing solutions for shared watercourses and biodiversity resources across the region.

The inaugural Transboundary Water and Landscapes Sustainable Finance Bootcamp was successfully held in South Africa on 26 November 2025, with a call for River Basin Organizations (RBOs) and Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) to continue working together in advancing sustainable development across southern Africa.

Many RBOs and TFCAs in southern Africa operate within shared geographical landscapes and confront similar challenges, hence deeper cooperation is essential to achieve effective conservation and secure water security benefits across borders.

Addressing the meeting, Senior Programme Officer-Water at the SADC Secretariat, Dr. Patrice Kabeya, said the convergence of RBOs and TFCAs marks a new chapter in how the region should manage, protect and finance its resources to promote socio-economic development.

“Never before has there been more global recognition of the value of nature-based solutions, integrated water management and climate-smart investment. The world is looking for credible, coordinated and impactful regional initiatives and southern Africa has stepped forward with one. This joint initiative is more than a programme, it is a vision rooted in cooperation, resilience and shared prosperity,” Dr. Kabeya said.

International Coordinator for the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTCA), Mr. Gwinyai Muti concurred, saying aligning efforts between practitioners in the transboundary conservation and those engaged in the management of river systems is critical in addressing both present and future needs in southern Africa.

“This Sustainable Finance Bootcamp will be invaluable in supporting and guiding actions towards the attainment of international targets on sustainable water resources management and environmental co-benefits for society, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDG6 in particular,” Mr. Gwinyai said.

LIMCOM Executive Secretary, Mr. Sergio Sitoe, urged RBOs and TFCAs to continue working together to unlock innovative financing solutions for shared watercourses and biodiversity resources across the region.

“Let us engage and prove that sustainable finance is not a distant aspiration, but a practical pathway to resilience and prosperity across boundaries. After all, the future of transboundary cooperation must not only be defined by treaties alone but should also be secured through the investments we commit to today,” Mr. Sitoe said.

The Bootcamp initiative is convened by the Sustainable Finance Coalition and Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, with financial support from the German Government, under the SADC-German Transboundary Water Management (TWM) project and Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada through Conservation International. LIMCOM and the GLTFCA, serve as focal points and are co-convening the event.