REMARKS BY DR. ENG. LADISLAUS K. LEONIDAS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY JOINT SONGWE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION (SONGWECOM) CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP ON PROJECT CONCEPT NOTE
REMARKS BY DR. ENG. LADISLAUS K. LEONIDAS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
JOINT SONGWE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION (SONGWECOM) CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP ON PROJECT CONCEPT NOTE DEVELOPMENT
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
22 JUNE 2026
Honourable Representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), Representatives of GIZ,
Distinguished Delegates from the Governments of the Republic of Malawi and the United
Republic of Tanzania, Development Partners, Technical Experts, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning.
On behalf of the Joint Songwe River Basin Commission (SONGWECOM), it is my great honour and privilege to welcome you all to Dar es Salaam for this important Capacity Building Workshop on Development of Project Concept Notes for the Songwe River Basin.
At the outset, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to the African Union Commission (AUC) and GIZ for their continued collaboration, technical support and commitment towards strengthening transboundary water cooperation, climate resilience and sustainable development within the Songwe River Basin. Your partnership reflects the spirit of African solidarity and practical cooperation required to address the complex development and climate challenges facing shared river basins across the continent.
I equally wish to acknowledge and commend the Governments of the Republic of Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania for their unwavering support and continued commitment to the operationalisation of SONGWECOM and implementation of the Songwe River Basin Development Programme. The success achieved thus far is a result of the strong political goodwill, leadership and cooperation demonstrated by our two Member States.
Distinguished Participants,
The Songwe River Basin is one of the most strategic transboundary river basins in Southern Africa. The basin covers approximately 4,243 square kilometres, shared between Tanzania and Malawi, with about 55 percent located in Tanzania and 45 percent in Malawi. It supports the livelihoods of more than 460,000 people, while serving as a critical source of
water, food, energy, biodiversity and economic opportunities for communities on both sides of the border. The basin is also an important tributary of the wider Zambezi River Basin system.
However, scientific assessments undertaken through the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (2023) and Strategic Action Planning (2024) process have confirmed that the basin faces significant environmental and socio-economic challenges. These include ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, land degradation, soil erosion, climate change impacts, poverty, inadequate infrastructure and unsustainable natural resource use. Studies indicate that woodland cover in the basin declined by approximately 62 percent between 1990 and 2020, while agricultural land expanded by nearly 200 percent during the same period. These trends are contributing to increased sedimentation, declining ecosystem services and growing vulnerability of local communities.
The basin experiences an average annual rainfall of about 1,482 millimetres, yet rainfall variability is increasing due to climate change. Scientific evidence further indicates rising temperatures across the basin, increasing pressure on water resources, agriculture and ecosystem health. At the same time, the Songwe River continues to experience recurrent flash floods that periodically alter the river course, affecting international boundaries, damaging infrastructure and threatening the livelihoods of more than 50,000 people while affecting approximately 15,000 hectares of land.
These realities underscore the urgent need for accelerated investments in climate resilience, water security, ecosystem restoration, sustainable livelihoods and green economic development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The vision guiding our collective efforts remains clear. The Shared Vision 2050 for the Songwe
River Basin envisages:
"A Songwe River Basin that continuously experiences improved quality of life among local communities through sustainable use of basin resources while ensuring that economic growth exceeds population growth."
To achieve this vision, our Member States adopted the Songwe River Basin Development Programme (2014-2024), a ten-year transboundary investment programme that serves as the principal framework for transforming the basin into a climate-resilient, economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable development corridor.
The Programme provides a pipeline of strategic investments covering water resources development, hydropower generation, irrigation, water supply and sanitation, flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, livelihood development, infrastructure and institutional strengthening.
Among the flagship investments is the Lower Songwe Dam and Hydropower Plant Project, a transformational regional infrastructure project expected to generate approximately 180.2
MW of renewable energy, produce about 686 GWh of electricity annually, provide flood protection to more than 82,000 people, support irrigation development for over 6,200 hectares, improve water security, and contribute significantly to regional economic integration and climate change mitigation.
Distinguished Participants,
This workshop therefore comes at a strategic moment.
Over the next four days, experts will work together to advance the preparation of the strategic project concept notes that are expected to unlock significant financing opportunities for the basin: Our priorities among others are:
1. Songwe River Irrigation Schemes Project – estimated at approximately USD 40
Million.
2. Songwe River Basin Water Supply and Sanitation Project – estimated at approximately USD 19.5 Million.
3. Songwe River Basin Carbon Market Programme – designed to unlock climate finance and carbon investment opportunities while supporting community livelihoods, ecosystem restoration and sustainable land management.
4. Advancing Low Carbon Development through the Lower Songwe Dam, Hydropower Plant and Transmission Lines Project – estimated at approximately USD 1 Million for designing the component.
5. Songwe River Basin Flood Early Warning System and Flood Risk Management
Project – estimated at approximately USD 45 Million.
Collectively, these concepts represent critical building blocks towards climate-resilient development, green growth, poverty reduction, food security, water security and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2063, National Development Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions of both countries.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One of the key lessons emerging from international climate and development financing is that resources follow quality projects. The challenge today is not only identifying development needs, but translating those needs into well-designed, bankable and investment-ready projects capable of attracting financing from climate funds, multilateral development banks, private investors and development partners.
This training therefore provides an invaluable opportunity to strengthen our collective capacity in project preparation, concept development, climate finance access and investment planning. It is also an opportunity to establish a common understanding of how the Songwe River Basin can position itself to access emerging opportunities under climate finance mechanisms, biodiversity funds, carbon markets, adaptation financing windows and sustainable infrastructure financing facilities.
I therefore encourage all participants to actively engage throughout the week, share experiences, challenge assumptions, exchange ideas and collectively produce high-quality concept notes that can move rapidly towards financing and implementation.
I wish you productive deliberations, successful outcomes and an enjoyable stay in Dar es
Salaam.
Thank you.
