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The Ministry of Green Economy and Environment says Zambia has secured an investment phase grant of US$3,627,540 from the Systematic Observations Financing Facility.
The ministry said the funding was approved by the 13th SOFF Steering Committee under Decision 13.3, marking a major milestone in Government’s efforts to strengthen the country’s climate resilience.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Ministry Principal Public Relations Officer Harriet Chimuka, the financing followed a rigorous readiness and preparatory phase that began in 2023 during the COP28 climate summit held in Dubai.
The funds would be used to procure and install modern weather observation stations as well as build capacity to sustainably manage the observation infrastructure that Government has established across districts and catchment areas.
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The initiative is expected to close existing climate data gaps and bring Zambia into compliance with the internationally mandated Global Basic Observing Network (GBON).
Green Economy and Environment Minister, Mike Mposha, described the approval as a transformative step in strengthening the country’s climate adaptation strategy.
“This investment is a testament to Government’s unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and livelihoods of the Zambian people. By upgrading our meteorological infrastructure to world-class standards, we are enhancing our ability to provide accurate, location-specific early warning systems,” Mposha said.
He added that the initiative aligned with national development goals aimed at safeguarding sectors such as agriculture, energy and infrastructure from the growing effects of climate change.
The ministry said the project will be implemented with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) as the implementing entity, with technical guidance from the UK Met Office acting as peer advisor.
Once operational, the upgraded infrastructure will also enable Zambia to contribute critical meteorological data to global weather prediction models, improving forecast accuracy worldwide.
The ministry noted that the investment would also complement other financing mechanisms such as the African Development Bank Climate Action Window, helping to ensure a sustainable and comprehensive approach to climate data management.
Deployment of the infrastructure and related capacity-building programmes is expected to begin once the funds are disbursed, the ministry said.
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