Rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam to minimise the risk of failure

The rehabilitation of Kariba Dam is among the more consequential infrastructure undertakings in southern Africa, given that the structure regulates water flow along the Zambezi River and supports hydropower generation that both Zambia and Zimbabwe depend on heavily for their electricity supply. The dam, completed in 1959, has long faced structural concerns related to erosion of the plunge pool below the spillway, a problem that, if left unaddressed, could threaten the dam's integrity and the communities downstream. The project is listed under Global Gateway as being in Phase 4 of 5 and described by EU sources as having reached a significant milestone in 2024 with the completion of excavation and concreting works. This account comes exclusively from EU institutional communications, which carry a promotional bias and should be treated as aspirational unless corroborated independently. No IATI disbursement records and no EIB project database entries have been identified for this initiative, which means there is no verified financial trail linking EU development finance to the rehabilitation works. The investment figure has not been publicly disclosed, further limiting external scrutiny. It is worth noting that the Kariba rehabilitation programme predates Global Gateway and has been led primarily by the Zambezi River Authority, with financing historically arranged through the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The EU's role, and the precise nature of any Global Gateway contribution, remains unclear from available evidence. No independent news sources reviewed for this report -- including Reuters, the Financial Times, or regional outlets such as The East African -- have reported on EU involvement in the Kariba rehabilitation specifically. What independent coverage does confirm is the broader context of acute hydropower stress in the region.