The Effects of Climate Change in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa

Agriculture contributes immensely to the economic growth of Zimbabwe as a country and Southern Africa as a region. As a result, the effects of climate change in the form of a severe cyclone have left the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe grounded, and the negative impact this has had on the country’s GDP cannot be ignored.

The Government of Zimbabwe is playing its part in making sure people in the rural areas receive much needed support. But more has to be done as the demand for food keeps surging especially in Matabeleland, in the southern part of Zimbabwe.

Complementary to the efforts of the Government of Zimbabwe, NGOs are playing a vital role in closing the gaps in supporting the needy sector of the population. The World Food Program and USAID organisations have taken the lead in support of the Government efforts in making sure that nobody succumbs to hunger, not only in the southern part of the country, but also in Manicaland and Mashonaland.

General business in Zimbabwe has not been spared from the negative impact of this climatic event. Traders, millers and supermarkets/shops have all been negatively impacted. As bad as it is, this has created an opportunity for finance houses to strengthen their structured finance divisions. In response to the funding needs of traders, banks are now reviewing their risk mitigatory strategies/measures. The need to engage independent surveyors has become a reality. Implementation of Collateral Management Agreements/Stock Monitoring Agreements becomes even more of a requirement in this new dispensation.

The cyclones have also brought power challenges to the national grid, due to inadequate electricity generation in Zimbabwe. The manufacturing industry has been hit hard by these challenges that have also left a lot of people jobless. National hydro-power generation has reduced in capacity tremendously due to record low water levels in Kariba dam. The Government of Zimbabwe has embarked on establishing power generation projects in Hwange, with the target being to have adequate power for the nation by the year 2030. Partnership agreements have been signed between the Government and reputable foreign partners to make this vision a reality.

The mining industry remains on a positive trajectory in Zimbabwe as the industry now employs many of those displaced due to the cyclone driven hardships. Beneficiation of these minerals is starting to lift Zimbabwe’s GDP to higher levels that should eventually lead to the building of infrastructure such as roads, rails and bridges. But beneficiation will only be fully realised once the power generation projects are completed, as they themselves consume a lot of power during the construction process. A good rainy season will help make this achievable as hydro-power generation capacity improves.

Equally, rural communities have not been spared as migration to urban areas continues unabated and contributes to the rise in the rate of unemployment in the country's towns and cities. School feeding programs continue to play a pivotal role in keeping kids in schools, ultimately leading to a more educated workforce in years to come.

All these challenges highlight the difficult situation brought about by changing climatic conditions, and this remains a huge challenge to deal with not only for Zimbabwe, but for the whole region as well. Now more than ever, significant financial injections will be required in order to deal with the climate challenges of today and to those that lie further down the road.