The Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM), in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have taken decisive steps to equip LIMCOM Member States with artificial intelligence (AI) powered digital tools to manage climate variability, and transboundary water challenges. On April 15, the Limpopo Digital Twin and WaterCopilot was rolled out for use by water managers across Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The Limpopo Digital Twin is an interactive digital replica of the river basin that delivers near real-time insights for water-planning. The first prototype Digital Twin in Africa — now fully mature and openly accessible — it integrates hydrological, climatic, irrigation and water-use data with intuitive maps and analytics.
The WaterCopilot is an AI agent embedded into the Digital Twin platform. It was developed by IWMI in collaboration with Microsoft as a conversational interface to basin data. WaterCopilot allows water managers to query complex hydrological information using plain-language questions, like English or Portuguese, without needing specialist knowledge of the underlying datasets or platform architecture.
To support water managers’ use of the platforms, IWMI and LIMCOM hosted a two-day capacity-building workshop focused on testing and scenario development for the Limpopo Digital Twin and WaterCopilot. Held from April 15-16 in Maputo, Mozambique, the workshop brought together technical representatives from the four LIMCOM Member States, representatives from IWMI, leading experts in digital water management and digital intelligence and representatives from the International Affairs Office at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Presidential Court and the American University of Sharjah.
A live demonstration of the WaterCopilot showcased plain-language queries on reservoir status, environmental flow thresholds, water accounting and MiniSASS river health scores — a citizen science tool for monitoring water quality and health. Through the training stakeholders learned to navigate the Digital Twin, which provides near real-time operational monitoring, with the WaterCopilot making its data accessible to users at all levels.
Co-designing Limpopo Basin scenarios with the Water AI project
On the final day of the workshop, LIMCOM member states were introduced to the Water AI project, which is an AI-augmented global hydrological modelling initiative. Water AI can create simulations of “what could happen” under various conditions, while using AI calibrations to adjust the model to match real-world data as closely as possible using past observations like rainfall and river flow. The Limpopo River Basin will serve as the first real-world test of this AI-driven hydrological model.
“To make sound decisions for water security, good hydrological modelling is essential. However, hydrological models need data and take months to calibrate, making them a bottleneck in water resource management. Through this project, we are using AI tools to accelerate this process. This will serve as a huge step in making faster and better-informed water management decisions,” said Ian Overton, IWMI’s Acting Director for Water Data Science.
Water AI falls under the CGIAR AI Hub, hosted in Abu Dhabi and is part of the United Arab Emirates’ AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development, launched with the Gates Foundation and partners in December 2025. It is also the flagship product within the CGIAR Accelerator for Digital Transformation, implemented by IWMI in partnership with the American University of Sharjah and ai71, and supported by the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court.
During the workshop, technical representatives from LIMCOM member states co-developed priority scenarios for the Limpopo River Basin, designating it as the primary Water AI project demonstration case for Southern Africa. Central to the workshop was the spirit of co-design with LIMCOM Member States. Rather than receiving tools off the shelf, LIMCOM member state participants actively shaped priority scenarios, tested the Digital Twin and the WaterCopilot as a shared digital resource for the basin. This participatory approach ensures that the technology reflects the realities and needs of the people who will use it, and positions LIMCOM and its member states at the forefront of digital water governance in Africa.
Strengthening evidence-based decision-making in the Limpopo River Basin
The workshop served as a milestone in strengthening evidence-based decision-making within the basin. LIMCOM and IWMI remain committed to ensuring that the millions of people living in the Limpopo River Basin, from farmers and communities facing climate variability to governments navigating shared water resources across the four countries, benefit from better-informed water management decisions.
LIMCOM Executive Secretary Sergio Sitoe highlighted that in this era of digitalization, it was critical for stakeholders to fully harness digital intelligence to drive socio-economic development.“The effectiveness of these technological innovations such as the Limpopo Management Information System and the Limpopo Digital Twin relies on the active participation of all relevant stakeholders,” said Sitoe. “We must all work together and ensure that the data we generate remains accurate and the insights truly actionable. This shared responsibility will allow us to harness digital intelligence to improve planning, monitor progress and ultimately drive inclusive growth across the basin.”
IWMI Country Representative for South Africa, Henry Roman, emphasized that these digital tools are a game changer in water resource management as it ensures that decisions are grounded in evidence and science.
Roman said the development of these technological tools is a testament to the power of partnerships and innovation. “By combining the operational capabilities of the Digital Twin with the scenario-based insights of the Water AI project, we are equipping LIMCOM and its member states with the tools they need to navigate the challenges of climate change, land use,and water demand. This is a significant step forward for the region and a model for global water governance.”
