Story by Tichaona Kurewa
BATOKA Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BGHES) have secured buy-in from various stakeholders across Africa after the project was declared not a threat to Victoria Falls’ status as a World Heritage Site.
The long-anticipated BGHES faced multiple delays over the years, chief among them concerns raised by UNESCO over its potential impact on the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site.
However, African experts from 15 countries, who gathered in Livingstone, Zambia, for the Expert Meeting on World Heritage and Sustainable Development in Africa concluded the project can go ahead as it does not threaten Victoria Falls.
The meeting’s official communiqué, delivered by the Director of International Conservation Affairs at the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Professor Patience Gandiwa emphasised the importance of African voices in decisions affecting the continent’s development trajectory.
“We do not want anyone or any multilateral process to stand in the way of our aspirations as state parties. One of the reasons for the more than five-year delay was due to concerns raised by experts who visited the area, claiming the project could jeopardise or compromise the site. But now, African experts have agreed that there is no reason for the project to be stopped,” Professor Gandiwa said.
“Often, African voices are absent, not because experts lack opinions, but because they may not be informed or confident in expressing support. That is why we brought them here to see for themselves. The project site is 47 kilometres downstream from Victoria Falls. There is no way this initiative will interfere with the Outstanding Universal Values of the site.”
Set to begin in 2028 and run through to 2034, the Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme is expected to generate 2 400 megawatts of electricity, to be shared between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
