The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), in partnership with the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM), has introduced advanced digital tools to help Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe manage climate variability and transboundary water challenges. On April 15, the Limpopo Digital Twin and WaterCopilot were rolled out in Maputo, Mozambique, providing water managers with AI-powered platforms for monitoring, forecasting, and scenario planning.
The Limpopo Digital Twin is Africa’s first fully mature digital replica of a river basin, integrating hydrological, climatic, irrigation, and water-use data with interactive maps and analytics. Complementing this, the WaterCopilot—developed by IWMI with Microsoft—acts as a conversational interface, allowing managers to query complex hydrological data in plain language, making the system accessible without specialist knowledge.
To build capacity, IWMI and LIMCOM hosted a two-day workshop where officials tested the tools and co-developed scenarios for basin management. Demonstrations showed how WaterCopilot could answer questions on reservoir status, environmental flow thresholds, water accounting, and river health scores. The participatory approach ensured that LIMCOM member states shaped the tools to reflect local realities and priorities.
The workshop also introduced the Water AI project, an AI-augmented global hydrological modeling initiative under the CGIAR AI Hub. Using past rainfall and river flow data, Water AI accelerates model calibration, enabling faster and more accurate water management decisions. The Limpopo River Basin will serve as the first real-world test case for this technology, positioning Southern Africa at the forefront of AI-driven water governance.
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of evidence-based decision-making. LIMCOM’s Executive Secretary Sergio Sitoe highlighted the need for accurate data and shared responsibility to ensure actionable insights, while IWMI’s Henry Roman described the tools as a game changer for water resource management. By combining the operational capabilities of the Digital Twin with the scenario-based insights of Water AI, LIMCOM and its member states are better equipped to address climate change, land use pressures, and water demand challenges.
