Climate change resilience in the rehabilitation of the Kariba transboundary dam

The National Climate Change Action Plans of Zambia and Zimbabwe were launched after the major Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) had already gone ahead, so an opportunity was missed to align with the national climate strategies at an early stage of the project. Accordingly, and based on UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Zambezi River Authority has now implemented a Climate Change Policy as a guideline for enhancing adaptation and resilience in the context of its major construction projects, including the rehabilitation at Kariba. This paper focuses on key technical, financial and capacity building issues that need to be addressed by the various parties involved in the KDRP to contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change.