The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S future climate projections point towards warmer and drier climate conditions across the country, with an increase in the occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events, a senior Government official has said.
Speaking during a capacity building workshop on climate change mainstreaming for line ministries, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi underscored on the importance of mainstreaming climate change in development and budgeting processes of all Government ministries in view of envisaged devastating effects of climate change.
“Zimbabwe’s future climate projections point towards warmer and drier climate conditions across the country, with an increase in the occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, prolonged mid-season dry spells, droughts, excessive rainfall and the associated flooding.
“This calls for preparedness through adequate planning, budgeting and implementation of suitable adaptation measures proactively. The findings of these future climate projections have informed the formulation of the National Adaptation Plan.
“As I speak, a draft of the National Adaptation Plan is in place and undergoing the final review and approval processes in preparation for the launch.
“As we look forward to launching the National Adaptation Plan, focus is now on capacitating line ministries, departments and agencies to fully mainstream climate change in their programming in line with the emerging mandatory requirement by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development’s Treasury Budget Call Circular Number Two of 2022, calling upon ministries, departments and agencies to submit budgets for 2023 that speak to climate change mainstreaming,” he said.
Over the past four years, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry has been implementing the National Adaptation Plan process with the aim of national and sub national institutions to mainstream climate change in their work.
The capacity building workshop on climate change mainstreaming for line ministries in Vumba brought together officials from different Government ministries, departments and agencies.
The aim of the workshop is for Government officials to learn and understand modalities on concrete adaptation of mainstreaming of climate change in their plans, programmes and projects.
According to a presentation by Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Principal Adaptation Officer in the Climate Change Management Department, Ms Emily Matingo, the budgeting for NAP has revealed that a total of US$10,3 billion is needed for the successful implementation of NAP from 2023 to 2030.
She said the agriculture sector would chew US$4,77 billion, water US$3,55 billion, health US$500 million, infrastructure US$160 million, human settlements US$1 billion, forestry and biodiversity US$120 million and tourism US$120 million.
“The costing of NAP from 2023 to 2030 was done and it shows that US$10,3 billion is needed. The main source of financing the NAP will depend on compliance of the Budget Call Circular through implementation of the revised public sector investment management guidelines.
“Bilateral grants, loans (concessional and non-concessional), guarantees, insurance and equity also come into play. Multilateral funds such as Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) will also be a source of funding. Other sources of funding include Bonds, Guarantees, public private partnerships and Carbon trading,” she said.
