Green Growth for KAZA Project launched on the sidelines of the first African Biodiversity Summit

With support from the European Union (EU), the Kavango Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) officially launched a project titled “Green Growth for KAZA: Leveraging KAZA’s Natural Capital and Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Socio-Economic Development.”

The launch which took place on 3^rd November as a side event at the first Africa Biodiversity Summit in Gaborone- Botswana, was officiated by the Botswana Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon. Wynter Mmolotsi. Dignitaries present included the AU Commissioner- H.E. Moses Vilakati and EU Ambassador to Botswana and SADC – H.E. Petra Pereyra.

KAZA is prioritized under the EU NaturAfrica Programme focusing on green transition whose overarching goal is to reduce biodiversity loss while improving the sustainable quality of life for local communities in priority landscapes.

The EU has awarded a grant of EUR 5 million for a four-year (2025 – 2029) project implemented by the KAZA Secretariat in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Namibia and the Sustainable Finance Coalition (SFC).

The Green Growth for KAZA project will help deliver some of the directives of the 2024 inaugural KAZA TFCA Heads of State and Government Summit, with the aim of unlocking the vast natural wealth of the KAZA landscape by promoting green growth, sustainable livelihoods, and stronger transboundary governance, notably:

The ‘Green Growth for KAZA’ project outputs include:

• A conservation strategy and action plan for coordinated landscape management;
• An updated of integrated development plans for the 5 Partner State components and a Master Integrated Development Plan – all aligned with the conservation strategy;
• Bankable Nature Solutions (BNS) to boost private and public sector investment and support resilient livelihoods;
• Sustainable finance solutions and incubate some for purposes of long-term financial sustainability; and
• Support efforts to strengthen the KAZA Secretariat.

Speaking at the launch, Hon. Wynter Mmolotsi underscored the importance of the project, noting that “this project will help us as a region to achieve bankable, innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms and share lessons learnt along the way as countries are at different stages of exploring options.”

Ambassador Pereyra observed that the EU NaturAfrica project combines biodiversity conservation with social and economic empowerment, ensuring that local communities — particularly women, youth, and indigenous people benefit directly from conservation efforts, and emphasised that “the EU NaturAfrica project promotes human rights, inclusive governance, and sustainable value chains through partnerships with the private sector.”

The Executive Director of the KAZA Secretariat, Dr. Nyambe Nyambe pointed out that the project would generate critical outputs aligning conservation, finance, and community development, while effectively helping KAZA transition into a next phase of planning and implementation.

About KAZA

The Kavango Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), spanning approximately 520,000 km², is a partnership of the Governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This ambitious conservation, development, and tourism initiative lies within the Okavango and Zambezi river basins. It operates as an official Southern African Development Community (SADC) programme, uniting five nations under a shared vision of regional cooperation in transboundary conservation and sustainable development.

For more information, please contact:
KAZA Secretariat
Communications and Marketing Officer,

Janet Phiri: jphiri@kavangozambezi.org or +267 74 151 117
Website: www.kavangozambezi.org