ZIG Conference 2024 Report

Key note speaker Mr Alexander Millin

ZIG held the Conference for the year of 2024 on the 25^th of October at Tamarind Holiday and Conference Resort in Kariba. The theme was Community-Centered Urban Planning for Climate Adaptation: Empowering Local Stakeholders through Geospatial Solutions.

The roll call and registration started at 8am with the welcome address done by the current president of ZIG, Mr Simbarashe Munemero. The keynote address was conducted by the past REIZ President, Mr Alexander Millin via video recording where he emphasized the need to not only develop but to implement robust policies and regulations that are sensitive to climate changes. The director of ceremonies, Mr Tanaka Muromo, then opened the plenary session thereafter.  The panel roundtable discussion on policy and legal issues in light of this year’s theme was opened after the presentations.

Please download the presentations by our speakers on the following link on our website:

Conference Recap: Community-Centered Urban Planning for Climate Adaptation

The presentation by Arnold Bhero gave a snap view of what it takes to have a community centered urban planning approach. Below are a list of key take-aways from the compelling theme for this year’s conference :

1.         Stakeholder Engagement:

• Identify and involve diverse community members, including residents, local businesses, and organizations.
• Use workshops and focus groups to gather input and build trust. The OSM Chinhoyi project presented by Mr Kumbirai Matingo highlights this thrust by empowering youths and young women to map the whole town using the Open Street Mapping Platform.

2.         Geospatial Solutions:

• Utilize Various geomatics tools such as GPS, GIS, remote sensing to analyze data on land use, demographics, and environmental risks. Delegates were given an insight of Kobo Toolbox which is an open-source data collection and management platform commonly used in humanitarian, development, and research settings. It allows users to create forms (surveys, questionnaires, etc.), collect data via mobile devices or web interfaces, and analyze that data.
• Create interactive maps to visualize potential climate impacts and adaptation strategies.

3.         Data Collection and Analysis:

• Gather local data on climate vulnerabilities (e.g., flooding, heatwaves) involving the community members including the youths. This was emphasized by Miss Letwin Pondo, Mr. Tanaka Muromo and Miss Vimbai Chihota in their presentations.
• Analyze historical trends to project future risks.
• Build spatial information systems for construction, maintenance and management of resilient structures such as Road Asset Management Systems (RAMS). The RAMS project presented by Mr Admire Betera is a great initiative by our government based on ISO 55001 for requirements for Asset Management Systems.

4.         Adaptive Strategies:

• Develop tailored adaptation plans that reflect community priorities, such as green infrastructure, zoning changes, or emergency preparedness. Miss Marianne Mange presented on resilient infrastructure which reflects the importance in the construction industry to take this adaptive approach
• Promote sustainable practices and resilience-building initiatives.

5.         Implementation and Monitoring:

• Collaborate with local governments and organizations to implement strategies.
• Establish monitoring systems to track progress and adjust plans as necessary. Mr Mandla Dingana articulated the monitoring of water bodies in our nation utilizing hydrographical survey methodologies.

6.         Education and Capacity Building:

• Provide training and resources to empower community members in climate adaptation efforts. For instance, local communities need to be better informed on some of the geospatial solutions at their disposal that would enable to plan efficiently and effectively. For instance, many citizens in our landlocked nation stay have never heard about hydrographic surveys which are essential to manage waterbodies in their communities.  Many geospatial tools are already accessible on smartphones, but what is lacking is the knowledge to utilize these by our communities.
• Foster a culture of sustainability and resilience within the community.
• Mr Lyndon Kashangura, the current president for Council of Land Surveyors of Zimbabwe (CLSZ), also highlighted that the various opportunities for the profession unlocked during the conference, hence there is a need to conscientize our members on this aspect.

During the conference there were some of the highlights:

• Balancing diverse stakeholder interests.
• Securing funding and resources for implementation.
• Ensuring equitable access to geospatial tools and data.
• Policies and standards have to be frame-worked first

The president of ZIG emphasized of the need for decentralization to be taken seriously as most local planning authorities lack the geospatial experts to empower the local communities with geospatial solutions for the land use planning that is adaptive to the climatic changes. It was also motioned to ensure that the presentations made and all that was discussed should not end at the conference, but more should be done in our communities. There is therefore a need to ensure policy makers are approached so that they enact policies and regulations in line with resolutions made to have robust planning methodologies that are community-centered utilizing geospatial solutions.

The day ended on a high note with the delegates going for a boat cruise in the 3^rd largest man-made dam by height, length and reservoir capacity, Kariba Dam. 

The organization would like to thank all its sponsors, the delegates and organizers for this successful conference.

The printable copy of the report can be accessed here; https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LsD-gACtL1b1CSA8yp3tKeqU-kDp0hBk?usp=drive_link

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ZIG Information Desk