PART 1
KAMAYOYO Kelvin, Technical Advisor for Zambezi River lndaba & Expo 2024 and African Rivers has argued that both in theory and practice rivers should have been classifed as a real engine for growth and private sector development including rural community empowerment. He argued that rivers play a critical role as factor of production or post industrial processing auxilliary use in many sectors be it economic or social. Therefore, rivers and water are essential and play a beneficial role in keeping the ecosystem in a balance.
Kamayoyo stressed that the importance of rivers and water makes the first-ever Zambezi River Indaba & Expo 2024 a unique and profitable event for the private sector players to participate and take an active role at every stage. The event is also beneficial to the rural communities especially the local people along the river banks and within the catchment areas. The first-ever Zambezi River Indaba & Expo 2024 will be held under the theme: “Promoting River Restoration, Climate Smart Investment, Technology and Water Harvesting for Sustainable Development in Africa” from the 25th to 28th March, 2024 in Livingstone the tourist capital of Zambia. The Indaba and Expo is aimed at bringing together diverse stakeholders to discuss innovative ways on how to enhance wise utilisation of water resource, climate adaptation approaches and eco-friendly investment in order to conserve rivers for sustainable development in Africa.
The history of events such as Expos spans over a century ago when the first-ever World Expo dubbed: “The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations” was held in the custom-built Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park, United Kingdom between May and October, 1851. Since then Expos or dialogue events focusing at trade and showcasing evolution of commercial endeavours have been held in many countries and the most recent one being the Expo 2020 Dubai. Notwithstanding, the World Expos are split into three evolution eras, thus: industrialization (1851 to 1938), cultural exchange (1939 to 1987) and nation branding (1988 to the present). Therefore, the first-ever Zambezi River Indaba & Expo 2024 marks the beginning of profiling the importance of Rivers and Water bodies in the context of World Expos.
Kamayoyo stressed that the rivers are of strategic importance to the private sector development and trade because they represent the inherent value and recognition that nature works for sustainable development. The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa, with an estimated distance of 2,500 kilometres, it starts from Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the north eastern border of Namibia and the northern part of Botswana, thereafter undertake a long stretch between Zambia and Zimbabwe towards Mozambique before emptying its water into the Indian Ocean. During this great journey of the Zambezi River traversing different countries across Africa, the river together with its tributaries and wide floodplains continue to provide food, supply hydroelectric power, facilitate marine transport, enhance tourism, provide fresh water and nutrients for agriculture.
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