Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube in Livingstone, Zambia
ZIMBABWE is taking over the co-ordinating chairmanship for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Kaza TFCA) from Zambia this year.
The Kaza TFCA is a conservation area, covering five Southern African countries which are Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe with a population of over two million people and 227 900 elephants centred around the Caprivi-Chobe-Victoria Falls corridor.
It has a total of 520 000 square km and about 70 percent of land is under conservation, with 103 wildlife management areas, 85 forest reserves and three world heritage sites.
Kaza member states signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2006 resulting in the Kaza Treaty in 2011.
Speaking at the ministerial meeting preceding the 2024 Kaza Heads of State Summit in Livingstone, Zambia yesterday, Kaza executive director Dr Nyambe Nyambe said the regional conservation bloc had evolved over the years.
He said Zimbabwe will hold the chairmanship for two years until end of 2026. As chair, Zimbabwe will be responsible for running the Kaza Secretariat in Botswana.
The country is taking over from Zambia whose Tourism Minister Rodney Sikumba has been the co-ordinating chair since 2022.
“Kaza has evolved against the key milestones that the partner states had set for themselves although there are still many challenges. Towards the end of the year, dates have been set, Ministers will meet here in Livingstone to pass the button to the Republic of Zimbabwe as the next co-ordinating country,” said Dr Nyambe.
“The transition is alphabetical and Zimbabwe will take over from Zambia which took over from Namibia in 2022. The intention is to ensure collective ownership and drive for Kaza in line with the Kaza Treaty that guides all structures.”
Dr Nyambe said the chairmanship of Kaza comes with the responsibilities for day-to-day co-ordination of the Kaza Secretariat for and on behalf of Kaza states.
“Before the Secretariat goes into detail about issues, it makes sure the issues are discussed with the coordinating country and once cleared they are then shared with member states,” he said.
The 2024 Kaza Heads of State Summit was supposed to be held close to four years ago but was disturbed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This summit, although not provided for in the Treaty, is going to be for Heads of State, that shows the high level of political will that characterises Kaza and the courage to commit to the agenda of Kaza by the five Heads of State,” said Dr Nyambe.
The Kaza Heads of State last met at the Kasane Elephant Summit in May 2019 where they discussed issues concerning the status of the African elephants and the summit gave birth to the aerial survey which was conducted last year.
The meetings of experts started on Saturday and yesterday culminated in the ministers’ meeting that feeds into the Heads of State Summit tomorrow.
The summit is being held under the theme: “Leveraging Kaza’s natural capital and cultural heritage resources as catalysts for development of the eco-system.”
Dr Nyambe said the meeting has given an overview of the milestones achieved at Kaza and how the bloc has evolved.
“What’s important is that technocrats managed to convey to the ministers the need for progress and implementation, support from the Kaza structures, institutional arrangements, governance, decision making, financial needs and an update on the elephant aerial survey,” he said.
The ministers went into a closed session late afternoon yesterday and were expected to come up with a position paper to be given to Heads of State. — @ncubeleon
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