1. Background, Landscape Context and Strategic Rationale
The Greater Kafue Landscape constitutes one of Zambia’s most significant socio‑ecological systems and a foundational pillar of the country’s economic stability, social wellbeing, and climate resilience. Its geographical scope spans multiple administrative areas, including Itezhi‑Tezhi, Mumbwa, and Chibombo districts in Central Province; Mazabuka (including Magoye), Monze, Choma, and Kalomo districts in Southern Province; and Kafue District in Lusaka Province.
At the heart of this landscape lies the Kafue River, the longest river entirely within Zambia, around which the system is structured. Originating in forested headwaters, the river flows through a mosaic of dambos, wetlands, floodplains, and protected areas before eventually joining the Zambezi River. This interconnected system forms part of the broader Kafue River Basin, which covers approximately 155,000 square kilometres, nearly one‑fifth of Zambia’s total land area.
The basin integrates diverse ecological zones, administrative jurisdictions, and productive sectors within a single hydrological system, underscoring its strategic importance for sustainable development and natural resource management.
The strategic importance of the Greater Kafue Landscape lies in the extent to which its ecological and hydrological integrity underpins Zambia’s national development trajectory. The Kafue hydropower cascade, anchored by the Itezhi‑Tezhi, Kafue Gorge Upper, and Kafue Gorge Lower facilities, supplies more than half of the country’s installed hydropower capacity. Variability in river flows therefore has immediate implications for electricity availability, industrial output, mining activity, and household welfare. In parallel, the river supplies a substantial share of urban and industrial water demand, including an estimated forty‑four percent of Lusaka’s potable water supply. The balance of supply comes from groundwater sources which are recharged by surrounding wetlands. Water quantity and quality in the Kafue system are thus directly linked to public health, economic productivity, and the cost of living in Zambia’s largest metropolitan economy.
Beyond energy and urban water services, the Greater Kafue Landscape supports a broad array of livelihood and production systems. More than 6.6 million people across the basin depend on the river and its associated ecosystems for water, food production, employment, or income. In the Lower Kafue sub‑catchment alone, over 700,000 people rely directly on floodplain agriculture, fisheries, livestock grazing, and ecosystem services. These systems encompass both large‑scale commercial operations, such as irrigated sugarcane production and agro‑processing, and extensive smallholder farming systems whose productivity is tightly coupled to rainfall patterns and seasonal flooding. Fisheries, grazing, tourism, and ecosystem‑based enterprises similarly depend on the sustained functioning of wetlands and floodplains.
Ecologically, the Greater Kafue Landscape is of exceptional national and international significance. The Kafue Flats constitute one of Africa’s largest and most productive floodplain wetland systems, supporting biodiversity, fisheries, grazing, and vast populations of resident and migratory waterbirds. The landscape includes Ramsar designated wetlands and Kafue National Park, one of the largest protected areas on the continent. These ecosystems provide services that extend far beyond local boundaries, including carbon sequestration, regulation of hydrological extremes, biodiversity maintenance, and climate buffering functions that contribute to regional and global public goods.
Despite this centrality, the Greater Kafue Landscape is experiencing increasing and compounding stress. Land‑use change, deforestation, wetland conversion, pollution, unsustainable agricultural practices, and rising abstraction have progressively eroded ecological resilience across the basin. These pressures now interact with climate change in ways that amplify systemic risk. Recent droughts have demonstrated the vulnerability of the basin, as reduced inflows constrained hydropower generation, triggered load shedding, disrupted industrial activity, and increased household vulnerability. Climate projections indicate that such shocks are likely to become more frequent and severe over the coming decades.
The Lower Kafue Landscape Financing Plan (unpublished, 2025) provides clear evidence that parts of the system have already reached biophysical and institutional limits, particularly with respect to dry‑season water availability and ecosystem degradation. The plan estimates that approximately USD 219.4 million will be required over a ten‑year period to improve water security, restore critical ecosystems and strengthen institutional coordination in the Lower Kafue alone. While this plan represents a valuable pilot, it also demonstrates that risks within the Kafue system cannot be addressed effectively at sub‑catchment level in isolation, given strong upstream–downstream interdependencies and the national significance of the basin.
These findings align closely with national diagnostics, particularly the World Bank’s Zambia Country Climate and Development Report 2026 (CCDR), which identifies climate change, especially intensifying drought, as a structural threat to Zambia’s growth and poverty reduction pathway. The CCDR highlights Zambia’s longstanding difficulty in converting abundant natural capital into sustained, inclusive development, and emphasises that business‑as‑usual pathways will increasingly expose the country to economic instability unless investments are coordinated at scale to strengthen resilience while mobilising private‑sector‑enabled growth.
2. Problem Statement: Why Existing Approaches Are Insufficient
The central challenge in the Greater Kafue Landscape is not a lack of ideas or expertise, but the absence of an integrated financing and governance mechanism to scale promising practices and support adaptive, long-term management. Water stress has already become a constraint, particularly during dry seasons, as demand from energy generation, mining, agriculture, industry, livestock, and urban settlements increasingly exceed available supply. Climate change is accelerating this trend by altering rainfall patterns, increasing evaporation, and reducing the reliability of base flows, while ecosystem degradation further undermines the landscape’s natural buffering capacity.
The impacts of these challenges are becoming more visible and serious. People whose livelihoods depend on natural resources, such as farming, fishing, or forestry, are finding their incomes less reliable and less productive. This problem is especially severe for poorer households, who have fewer resources or options to adapt to changes.
At the same time, large investments in infrastructure, like hydropower plants, irrigation systems, and urban water supply, are not performing as expected. This is because environmental degradation happening across the wider catchment (such as deforestation, soil erosion, or water pollution) is undermining these investments, even though these broader issues are often outside the direct control of individual projects.
As a result, government spending is increasingly being used to respond to crises (like droughts, floods, or system failures) instead of being invested in prevention and long-term solutions.
At the same time, the financing architecture supporting the landscape remains fragmented and misaligned with the scale and duration of the challenge. Public finance is insufficient, development finance operates through short-term and sector specific instruments, and private capital remains largely excluded due to mismatched risk allocation, lack of aggregation, and weak coordination. Project‑by‑project approaches, even when technically sound, cannot resolve systemic interdependencies and therefore perpetuate cycles of vulnerability and inefficiency.
3. Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to design, structure, and prepare for implementation of a Landscape Finance Approach (LFA) for the Greater Kafue Landscape that can mobilise and align capital at a scale and time horizon commensurate with the landscape’s systemic climate, water, and development challenges. The assignment will translate existing evidence, priorities, and pilots into a coherent, finance‑ready framework through which public, concessional, blended, and private finance can be deployed in a coordinated and sequenced manner to support long‑term resilience and economic transformation.
This is an explicitly implementation-oriented assignment. The objective is to establish a durable financing and governance action plan and investment roadmap capable of guiding investment decisions and supporting sustained action over multiple investment cycles, rather than producing additional stand‑alone diagnostics, sector strategies, or conceptual frameworks”
4. The Landscape Finance Approach Applied to the Greater Kafue Landscape
In the Greater Kafue context, a Landscape Finance Approach provides a practical response to the persistent disconnect between public objectives and private capital deployment. It recognises that the landscape functions as an interconnected system in which ecological processes, water flows, infrastructure performance, livelihoods, and economic activity are mutually reinforcing. Different components of this system generate different forms of value and face different risk profiles, requiring a differentiated and sequenced use of financial instruments over time.
Public and grant based finance play a foundational role by establishing enabling conditions, including policy coherence, institutional capacity, coordination across jurisdictions, stakeholder engagement, and early‑stage investments that reduce systemic risk. As conditions stabilise, concessional finance extends investment horizons and lowers the cost of capital for interventions with clear commercial potential but residual risk exposure. Blended finance instruments then provide a targeted interface through which public capital crowds in private investment by mitigating specific risks related to climate variability, market volatility, or coordination failures.
For critical landscape functions that underpin the entire economic system but do not generate easily monetizable returns, the approach incorporates dedicated long‑term financing mechanisms, such as trust‑fund‑style arrangements and Project Finance for Permanence structures. As systemic risk declines and coordination improve, conditions are created for the mobilisation of commercial debt and equity to scale revenue generating enterprises aligned with landscape objectives. In this way, the Landscape Finance Approach enables diverse forms of capital to operate coherently rather than in isolation.
5. Scope of Work
The consulting firm will be responsible for designing and preparing for the implementation of the Landscape Finance Approach (LFA) for the Greater Kafue Landscape that is financially robust, institutionally feasible, and credible to both public and private capital providers. The scope of work is deliberately oriented toward capital mobilisation, financial structuring, and implementation readiness, recognising that the core challenge in the Greater Kafue Landscape is not the absence of interventions, but the absence of a coherent architecture capable of aligning finance, incentives, and governance at scale.
Workstream 1: Landscape Finance Diagnostic and Financing Gap Analysis
- Undertake a literature review for the existing work and background materials in the Greater Kafue to identify "bankable projects"
- Analyse financing needs across the full intervention lifecycle (early-stage, operational, scaling)
- Identify critical financing gaps limiting the scale of priority interventions in the Greater Kafue Landscape
- Distinguish technical feasibility constraints from financial misalignment
- Identify where initiatives stall due to unsuitable instruments, short tenors, risk exposure, weak revenue certainty, or lack of aggregation
- Highlight opportunity costs of underinvestment in scalable and resilient landscape solutions
Workstream 2: Assessment of the Existing Financing Ecosystem, Policy Frameworks, and Institutional Support
- Assess existing public, concessional, development, blended, domestic, and private financing mechanisms
- Examine how financing mechanisms operate in practice through stakeholder consultations
- Identify institutional, regulatory, and coordination barriers to scale and capital absorption
- Highlight misaligned financial flows that reinforce ecosystem degradation or climate risk
- Assess feasibility and sequencing of policy and regulatory reforms needed to enable proposed financing mechanisms
Workstream 3: Market, Private Sector, and Value Chain Analysis
- Analyse private sector investment motivations, criteria, and risk management priorities
- Assess how climate risk, regulation, supply security, and reputational exposure influence investment behaviour
- Identify priority value chains and key commercial actors (producers, aggregators, processors, buyers)
- Define practical entry points for private capital (e.g. supply‑chain finance, anchor buyers, co‑investment platforms)
- Clarify how private capital can complement public, concessional, and philanthropic finance
Workstream 4: Design of an Integrated Landscape Financing Action Plan and Investment Roadmap for the Greater Kafue Landscape
- Apply a Sustainable Landscape Finance framework to align finance, incentives, and governance at landscape scale
- Design an integrated plan sequencing grants, philanthropic capital, concessional finance, blended instruments, and private capital
- Assess innovative financing structures (guarantees, insurance, aggregation vehicles, results‑based payments, trust funds, PFP‑type approaches)
- Identify enabling conditions for scale, including institutional capacity, coordination mechanisms, technical assistance, and data systems
- Ensure alignment with national policy frameworks and long‑term landscape objectives
Workstream 5: Prioritisation and Structuring of High‑Impact Financing Mechanisms
- Prioritise a small number of financing mechanisms with the highest potential for scale and systemic impact
- Apply finance‑oriented criteria (scalability, commercial viability, risk profile, policy alignment, institutional feasibility)
- Develop clear investment rationales outlining purpose, capital structure, risks, and expected impacts
- Provide indicative estimates of financing potential, sources of capital, and mobilisation timelines
- Produce investment‑ready outputs, including pitch decks and at least two fully developed funding proposals (USD 1–5 million each) that act as a pre-design fund to develop a larger multi-year project
- Define implementation pathways, partnership roles, and WWF’s strategic role (lead, convene, facilitate, catalyse, or transition)
6. Governance, Duration, and Expertise
The assignment will be led by WWF Zambia and WWF International, in collaboration with technical experts and Government counterparts, and implemented by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in finance, climate risk, water systems, institutional design, and stakeholder engagement.
The consulting firm will work closely with WWF Zambia and WWF experts to validate conservation priorities under the Greater Kafue LFA, identify funding gaps, and build on existing work to avoid duplication.
In collaboration with WWF teams and key stakeholders, the consultant will assess and select the most viable nature‑based financing and green finance mechanisms using agreed screening and scoring criteria. Active involvement of stakeholders with potential implementation roles is essential to ensure ownership and long‑term effectiveness.
Each selected financing mechanism will be further developed through detailed research and consultations with WWF technical experts and potential implementing partners, outlining funding flows, enabling conditions, roles and responsibilities, risks and mitigation measures, and practical steps for implementation within the Kafue context.
Expected Deliverables and Timelines
- Inception Report and Presentation
An Inception Report outlining the proposed approach, financial framework, and roadmap, with a focus on Greening Finance and Financing Green. It will define the investment thesis, approach to identifying priority mechanisms, and methodology for assessing viability and bankability. It will also highlight key stakeholders (including financial actors), data needs, and assumptions.
An accompanying presentation will be delivered for validation.
Timeline: Early July
Format:
- Report: Word document
- Presentation: PowerPoint
- Final Presentation Methodology and Roadmap
Timeline: End-July
Format: PowerPoint
- Interim Draft Report and Presentation on Priority Interventions
An interim deliverable identifying a prioritized pipeline of high-potential Nature Finance Mechanisms and greening finance interventions. The report shall include preliminary assessments of financial viability, revenue models, risk-return profiles, and alignment with private and public capital sources.
A presentation will be delivered to facilitate validation of the emerging investment opportunities and refine the prioritization based on stakeholder feedback.
Timeline: End of August
Format:
a. Report: Word document
b. Presentation: PowerPoint
- Action Plan and Investment Roadmap to Implementation
A comprehensive and investment-focused Action Plan and Implementation Roadmap covering a minimum of four (4) priority Nature Finance Mechanisms. This deliverable shall:
- Define clear structuring pathways for each mechanism, including capital stacks (public, private, blended finance)
- Identify potential investors, financing instruments, and delivery partners
- Present detailed financial projections and funding requirements (in USD) to operationalize each mechanism under Phase II of the Landscape Finance Approach (LFA)
- Outline risk mitigation strategies and enabling conditions required to unlock investment
- Provide sequenced, actionable steps to move from concept to financial close
This output is expected to be sufficiently robust to inform investor engagement and resource mobilization.
Timeline: August – October
Format: Word document (with supporting financial models and tables in Excel, where appropriate)
- Stakeholder and Investor Engagement Workshop
The Consultant shall support the design and facilitation of a high-level, in-person workshop in the Greater Kafue Landscape, bringing together key public sector actors, private sector investors, financial institutions, and development partners.
The workshop will serve to inform and strengthen the proposed Nature Finance Mechanisms and broader Landscape Finance Approach for the Greater Kafue, with a particular focus on investment readiness, risk allocation, and market appetite.
Timeline: July
Format: In-person workshop, supported by PowerPoint presentation
- Stakeholder Validation Workshop
The Consultant shall facilitate a high-level, in-person workshop in the Greater Kafue Landscape, bringing together key public sector actors, private sector investors, financial institutions, and development partners.
The workshop will serve to validate and refine the proposed Nature Finance Mechanisms and broader Landscape Finance Approach, with a particular focus on investment readiness, risk allocation, and market appetite.
Timeline: October
Format: In-person workshop, supported by PowerPoint presentation and a synthesis report
7. Final Presentation to WWF Zambia and Steering Team
A high-level strategic presentation summarizing the validated investment pipeline, financing mechanisms, capital requirements, and implementation roadmap. The presentation shall be tailored to support decision-making, partner alignment, and forward-looking resource mobilization efforts.
Timeline: Upon completion of the assignment - November
Format: PowerPoint (with optional executive summary in Word)
7. Qualifications and Experience of the Consulting Firm
The Consulting Firm shall demonstrate the following qualifications and experience:
- At least 10 years of institutional experience in Nature Finance, Green Finance, and/or blended finance, including the design and structuring of financing mechanisms.
- A minimum of 7 years of experience in developing investment strategies, financial roadmaps, or bankable project pipelines, preferably in natural resource management, climate, or landscape programmes.
- At least 5 years of demonstrated experience working with public and private sector investors, including financial institutions, DFIs, donors, and government partners.
- Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in financial modelling, investment analysis, and capital structuring, including the assessment of risk-return profiles.
- Demonstrated regional experience, with at least 5 years of work in Sub-Saharan Africa, and strong familiarity with conservation finance, climate finance, or landscape approaches considered an advantage.
- Evidence of successfully delivering similar assignments of comparable scale and complexity within the last 5–10 years
8. Submission Requirements
Proposals with a total budget exceeding EUR 50,000 will not be considered. The proposed budget should fall within this ceiling and include costs for travel, including participation in the in-person workshops and any relevant taxes.
Candidates interested in conducting this assignment should submit a detailed proposal to hmwelwa@wwfzam.org and jwaiyaki@wwfint.org, no later than 5pm CAT on Friday 29th May 2026 including:
- A detailed approach on methodology
- A detailed approach on stakeholders' engagement
- A detailed timeline for delivery
- A full budget breakdown
- Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team members
- Concrete evidence and a proven track record in the region and in engaging with Zambian stakeholders
- Concrete evidence and a proven track record in designing and implementing nature-finance mechanisms.
