Executive Summary
Case Study
Lesotho–Botswana Water Transfer Project
Project Overview
A transboundary water infrastructure project addressing a severe and growing water deficit across three Southern African nations.
The project proposed a 124-metre concrete arch dam on the Makhaleng River in Lesotho, combined with a 700-kilometre pipeline delivering water to Botswana (150 million cubic metres per year), Lesotho (97 million cubic metres), and South Africa (63 million cubic metres). In the long run, the project would integrate a 35–45 MW hydropower component to reduce Lesotho's significant electricity import dependency.
The project is a designated priority under the NEPAD Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and already has an existing Memorandum of Agreement from 2013 between the three sovereign states. Total project CapEx was estimated at $2.5 billion, with a preparation funding gap of $3.2 million.