Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania have launched a US$7.12 million, five - year project to jointly manage the Ruvuma/Rovuma River Basin and its coastal ecosystems, with an inception workshop hekl on 4 March 2026 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, bringing together stakeholders from the three African nations.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility and led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this is the first basin - wide source - to - sea initiative for the 115.000 - square - kilometres system which forms the boundary between Tanzania and Mozambique for 643.7 kilometres before flowing into the Indian Ocean.
The project is a cooperative effort that aims to protect natural resources in the region shared by the three countries seeking to enhance the management of the river basin’s natural, water, and coastal features, focused to strengthen ecosystem integrity, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative runs to December 2030 with total financing exceeding US$72 nillion is executed by Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and Wetlands International Eastern Africa alongside regional institutions.
Targeting pressures such as climate volatility, data gaps and limited community participation, the initiative is expected to support biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal health that underpin wildlife and beach tourism across the three countries.
About the Ruvuma/Rovuma River Basin:
The River Basin is a transboundary watershed shared by Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania, defined by a 760 kilometres long perennial river from the Matagoro Mountains to the Indian Ocean just north of Cape Delgado, composed of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, with a basement of Pre - Cambrian crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
Characterized by pristine Miombo woodlands, significant gas reserves, and a wide, and largely undeveloped channel, the river includes key tributaries such as the Lujenda, Luchteringo, Likonde, Muhuwesi and Lumesule rivers and flows through a swampy valley flanked by plateau escarpments in its lower course, which is often 1.6/3.2 kilometres wide and contains numerous wooded, inhabited islands.
The river is mostly shallow and fordable during the dry season, with several cataracts and the Upinda Rapids limiting navigation to small craft and the basin includes significant water boduies such as Lake Amaramba, Lake Chiuta and Lake Chilwa. Known as one of Africa’s last pristine wilderness areas and acting as a vital wildlife corridor, the basin supports several conservation areas, including the Niassa Game Reserve in Tanzania.
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