Southern Africa

The scarcity of clean and safe water, along with increasing urbanization and a highly variable climate, holds back economic and social development in Southern Africa. Scarcity is aggravated by competing demands for water from the domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors, limited water management and regulatory capacity, and inadequate investment in water resources development.

Yet, in many countries in Southern Africa, there is enormous untapped irrigation potential: only 7% of the region’s 50 million hectares of arable land is irrigated. Nevertheless, there have been major accomplishments in water policy in the region, which saw a wave of pioneering policy reforms in the 1990s. However, implementation has lagged for a variety of reasons, including limited capacity and differing expectations around rights to water access and use.

IWMI in Southern Africa

IWMI’s international and local specialists work closely with countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on integrated water, land and food management solutions that respond to regional and national challenges and priorities. IWMI’s strategy is centered around three strategic programs — Water, Food and Ecosystems; Water, Climate Change and Resilience; and Water, Growth and Inclusion — each supported by high-quality science and digital innovation.

Our priorities for the region include integrated river basin and aquifer management, evidence-based technical support to agricultural and water policy planning, implementation, review and monitoring, inclusive governance, and sustainable infrastructure and ecosystems.

Regional representative

Henry Roman

Henry Roman

Country Representative – South Africa

Contact

For work related to Southern Africa, please contact our regional office in South Africa.

Contact the media team.

Contact our global HQ.

Projects in Southern Africa

Latest Southern Africa news

Transboundary collaboration on the Limpopo

Africa’s first prototype digital twin comes home to the Limpopo River Basin …

Climate finance for resilience is a necessity to counter the ongoing drought in Zambia

Estimates of losses in the agriculture and food sector and disease burdens underscore the need for strong policy frameworks, monitoring and management tools …

Stories of gender and social inclusion 

IWMI’s work under Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa aims to build climate-resilient livelihoods …

IWMI is helping to address gaps in Africa’s water data

A collaborative, stakeholder-driven approach is enhancing capacity and tailoring solutions to local needs …

Latest Southern Africa publications

Displaying 4 publications
Climate risks resilience development: a bibliometric analysis of climate-related early warning systems in Southern Africa (12/08/2023)
Climate risks resilience development: a bibliometric analysis of climate-related early warning systems in Southern Africa
Climate, 2024
More... [DOI] | Fulltext (4.27 MB)
Why do farmers not irrigate all the areas equipped for irrigation? Lessons from Southern Africa (07/31/2024)
Why do farmers not irrigate all the areas equipped for irrigation? Lessons from Southern Africa
Agriculture, 2024
More... [DOI] | Fulltext (6.12 MB)
Exploring the prospects of UAV-remotely sensed data in estimating productivity of maize crops in typical smallholder farms of Southern Africa (12/08/2023)
Exploring the prospects of UAV-remotely sensed data in estimating productivity of maize crops in typical smallholder farms of Southern Africa
ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2023
More... [DOI] | Fulltext (1.59 MB)
El Nio’s effects on southern African agriculture in 2023/24 and anticipatory action strategies to reduce the impacts in Zimbabwe (11/30/2023)
El Nio’s effects on southern African agriculture in 2023/24 and anticipatory action strategies to reduce the impacts in Zimbabwe
Atmosphere, 2023
More... [DOI] | Fulltext (1.79 MB)