From catastrophic flooding to prolonged droughts, water-related challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa are increasing as changes in temperatures and weather patterns become more disruptive. Because natural disasters frequently cross national boundaries, regional cooperation is essential to address them. 

The World Bank's $620 million Regional Climate Resilience Program (RCRP) is helping countries and regional organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa prepare for climate-related shocks. It supports five countries—Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Sudan—and three regional bodies: the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO), the Southern Africa Development Community, and the African Union Commission. Together with the complementary Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) program, these efforts are pioneering approaches that show how effective cross-border water governance can build resilience and foster regional stability.

Reflecting on our experience with successful initiatives in Eastern and Southern Africa, three principles emerge as key to fueling regional water cooperation.

Key 1: Build Strong National Systems before Launching Regional Solutions

The most effective regional collaborations begin with enhancing individual country capacities. RCRP takes a unique approach to managing transboundary waters by first strengthening national systems. This means providing capacity building, support for planning and policy development, and implementation of national water resources management solutions. 

In South Sudan, this approach has transformed flood preparedness. ENTRO provides technical assistance to South Sudan's emerging water resources sector while facilitating collaboration with Ethiopia and Uganda on shared flood challenges. During the 2024 flood season, coordinated alerts from ENTRO, the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), and South Sudan's Flood Task Force benefited over 735,000 residents in flood-prone areas who could move to safer ground and save their livestock.

By strengthening their own national systems, Mozambique and Malawi are able to address shared challenges in the Shire River Basin, where damage to the environment in Malawi exacerbates downstream flooding in Mozambique. Funding from the RCRP supports watershed management interventions and upstream solutions for reducing flood risk in Malawi, while downstream in Mozambique it finances flood-risk management infrastructure. Malawi's planned ratification of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission will further strengthen this collaboration.

Key 2: Secure Local Buy-In through Community Engagement

Even the most sophisticated technical solutions can fail without community support. The experience in the Unyama River Catchment, where floods have disrupted cross-border trade between South Sudan and Uganda, shows the benefits of consulting with communities.

When NELSAP consultants charged with developing a flood management plan for the transboundary Unyama Basin faced resistance from residents uncertain about project intentions, they collaborated with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in South Sudan to launch a consultation process. Representatives met with communities at the national level in Juba, the state level in Torit, and the local level in Nimule to explain the benefits of having a coordinated transboundary plan, including protecting lives and livelihoods from floods coming from Uganda. This approach transformed skepticism into support, allowing the flood management plan to move forward.

Key 3: Invest in Human Capacity and Future Leadership

Sustainable water governance requires local expertise. ENTRO's internship program has trained over 51 South Sudanese water professionals in water management, remote sensing technology using satellite images for water data collection, geographic information systems (GIS) to collect and analyze spatial data on water resources, and hydrological modeling. 

Longa Seme Isaiah, now a GIS & data analyst at South Sudan's water ministry, has become a true believer in the benefits of regional collaboration. During his ENTRO internship, he focused on transboundary flood-risk analysis and data-driven water management. Now based at the Hydromet Center in Juba, he has helped reduce flood forecast errors by 53%.

"The experience showed me the power of regional cooperation and inspired a deeper commitment to shared solutions across the Nile Basin," Isaiah said.

Beyond training, CIWA has launched complementary initiatives including the Strengthening Transboundary River Basin Organizations project and the South Sudan Transboundary Waters Support Program. The first addresses declining water levels in Lake Kariba, which have created tensions between Zambia and Zimbabwe because of policy differences affecting fisheries.

The Path Forward

The RCRP and CIWA partnership represents a comprehensive approach to water governance that addresses technical, social, economic, and political dimensions. By focusing on the three keys, these programs are creating water management systems that can withstand climate variability while reducing cross-border tensions.

By working together, neighboring countries can address complex environmental challenges. As climate change continues to impact water resources globally, applying these three keys will be increasingly vital for sustainable water management and regional stability throughout Africa and beyond.