World Bank approves $137M for Zambia’s green growth

By: Chidozie Nwali

The World Bank has approved the second phase of the Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development (TRALARD II) project in Zambia, representing a substantial investment of $137 million to improve sustainable management of over 680,000 hectares of land and enhance livelihood resilience for over 650,000 people in targeted vulnerable communities of Zambia’s Miombo ecoregion. .

World Bank said in a press statement on Wednesday.

The financing package underscores a commitment to both environmental conservation and economic development, with a specific focus on creating market-driven opportunities.

Its  project’s funding structure includes a foundational $100 million grant from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), a key source of concessional funding for the world’s poorest countries.

This is complemented by an additional $37 million in grant resources from a consortium of international funds. These include $3 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), $7 million from the Least Developed Countries Fund for Climate Change (LDCF), $10 million from the Africa Climate and People Trust Fund (ACP), $10 million from the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF), and $7 million from the Scaling Climate Action by Lowering Emissions Multi-Donor Trust Fund (SCALE).

“TRALARD II is a powerful example of how climate action can be community-driven and inclusive. By investing in climate-smart agriculture, restoring degraded landscapes, and modernizing hydromet services, it will help Zambian communities enhance resilience to climate change,” said Achim Fock, World Bank Country Manager for Zambia in the press

statement.

Beyond the direct investment, TRALARD II is designed to generate long-term financial returns through the development of a jurisdictional Emission Reduction Program.

This initiative aims to strengthen Zambia’s capacity to participate in global carbon markets, creating a new revenue stream that can be reinvested into the landscape and local communities, aligning with the country’s National Green Growth Strategy, positioning climate action as a catalyst for a more low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive economy by 2030.

“TRALARD II reflects the World Bank’s commitment to support Zambia’s efforts to combat climate change through inclusive, community-driven solutions”. said Elisson Wright, World Bank Senior Environmental Finance Specialist.

A large portion of Zambia’s population, especially in rural areas, depends on rain-fed subsistence farming and the extraction of natural resources for their livelihoods. This heavy reliance makes them extremely vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, such as droughts, erratic rainfall, and extreme temperatures, which in turn exacerbate poverty and food insecurity.

To address this, the Government of Zambia, with support from the World Bank, initiated the first phase of the TRALARD project. This earlier phase focused on improving natural resource management and ecosystem resilience, particularly in the Northern Region of Zambia. Building on these efforts, TRALARD II was designed to scale up and expand these interventions, with a broader reach that includes the Southern Province, which has been particularly hard-hit by droughts.