SADC to Host First-Ever Sustainable Finance Bootcamp to Strengthen Transboundary Water and Landscape Management

By Senior Reporter

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is set to bring together an unprecedented coalition of regional actors, technical experts, development partners, and financial institutions for the inaugural Transboundary Water and Landscapes Sustainable Finance Bootcamp, a landmark initiative designed to transform how Southern Africa mobilizes and manages funding for shared natural resources.

Scheduled for 26–27 November in Muldersdrift, South Africa, the Bootcamp will convene representatives from SADC Member States, River Basin Organizations (RBOs), Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), civil society, International Cooperating Partners (ICPs), and major financial institutions. The two-day event aims to unlock new, innovative financing models capable of safeguarding the region’s shared watercourses and biodiversity landscapes.

Southern Africa is home to some of the world’s most significant transboundary rivers and wildlife corridors, where water security and biodiversity depend on coordinated action across borders. Many RBOs and TFCAs operate within overlapping geographic areas, confronting similar pressures, climate variability, land degradation, limited investment, and increasing demand for natural resources.

These shared realities have underscored the need for deeper collaboration, prompting SADC and its partners to design a platform that strengthens joint project implementation and builds resilience in some of the region’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

Held under the theme: “Sustainable Financing for Joint Impact in River Basin Organizations and Transfrontier Conservation Areas of Southern Africa, with a Focus on the Great Limpopo,” the Bootcamp will immerse participants in the principles of sustainable finance and their application to real-world environmental challenges.

Organizers say the event will highlight a suite of innovative financing mechanisms, ranging from environmental trust funds and green bonds to tax incentives and blended finance, and illustrate how these tools can be adapted to diverse river basins and conservation landscapes.

Participants will examine lessons emerging from the Blyde and Olifants sub-catchments, both located within the Great Limpopo region, where multi-stakeholder initiatives have successfully piloted nature-based solutions and sustainable finance approaches.

The Bootcamp programme blends high-level plenary sessions with intensive training modules and practical break-away discussions. Participants will engage in scenario building, examine case studies, and practice designing finance models tailored to their own transboundary systems.

Organizers hope the hands-on format will not only strengthen technical understanding but also build lasting partnerships, critical for securing long-term financing for shared water and land-based ecosystems.

The event is also expected to act as a catalytic platform, inspiring replication of successful approaches across the region’s major river basins, including the Zambezi, Limpopo, Orange-Senqu, and Kunene systems.

This pioneering initiative is jointly convened by the Sustainable Finance Coalition, Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), and Conservation International. Funding support comes from the German Government, through the SADC-German Transboundary Water Management Programme, and Global Affairs Canada, working in partnership with Conservation International.

The Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), both leading institutions in the shared management of water and wildlife corridors, are serving as focal points and co-hosts of the Bootcamp.

Speaking ahead of the gathering, LIMCOM and GLTFCA emphasized the timeliness of the initiative, noting: “This Bootcamp is a timely opportunity to mobilize resources and partnerships that will ensure that our shared basins and conservation areas are managed sustainably, equitably, and for the benefit of all.”

As climate change intensifies and demand for natural resources grows, Southern Africa finds itself at a crucial crossroads. The Bootcamp represents a proactive step toward building financial resilience, strengthening regional governance, and safeguarding the ecosystems that millions depend on for water, livelihoods, and biodiversity.