From 1–5 March 2026, the Government of the Republic of Zambia held a Zambia Climate Budget Tagging (ZCBT) Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop in Chisamba, Zambia, aimed at strengthening national capacity to track climate-related public spending.
The workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MoFNP) and the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE), with support from COMESA and the NDC Partnership.
The training brought together planners, accountants, budget analysts, climate change experts, and Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) are centralized ICT-based systems (IFMIS/ICT) officers from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MoFNP), the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE), and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) to build national expertise in implementing Zambia’s Climate Budget Tagging system.
Climate Budget Tagging is an important public financial management reform that will enable the Zambian Government to systematically identify, classify, and track climate-related expenditures within the national budget. The tagged budget and expenditure reports will support improved transparency and accountability in public spending while strengthening alignment with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and international climate finance reporting frameworks.
Participants received practical training on the Zambia Climate Budget Tagging Guidelines, including the identification of climate-relevant interventions, the application of the Explicit Link Test, and the use of the Hybrid Climate Relevance Weighting Model. The training also addressed key climate finance themes such as adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and the identification of maladaptation risks, alongside sector-based practical exercises.
Speaking during the workshop, Mr Lazarous Mwelwa the Assistant Director – Budget Formulation at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning emphasized the importance of Climate Budget Tagging in strengthening climate-responsive budgeting.
“Climate Budget Tagging is a critical tool for ensuring that government investments supporting climate resilience and low-carbon development are clearly identified and tracked. The extensive training conducted has prepared officers to effectively cascade the Zambia Climate Budget Tagging methodology across Ministries, Provinces and Agencies.”
The Assistant Director also highlighted the strategic importance of training MoFNP Budget Office Desk Officers, who play a central role in supporting MPAs throughout the national budgeting process.
Mr Beausic Chongo speaking on behalf of the Director in the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, noted that the training of trainers meeting had strengthened the capacity of officers who will play a key role in supporting the implementation and roll out of Zambia Climate Budget Tagging framework across Ministries, provinces and other Government Agencies.
The trained officers are expected to demonstrate strong competencies in the technical application of the ZCBT methodology, including the accurate identification and tagging of climate-related expenditures. They will also support institutions in applying the methodology within the Output-Based Budgeting (OBB) and IFMIS systems, facilitate training sessions across MPAs, ensure tagging quality assurance, and provide mentoring support during the initial climate budget tagging cycles.
The workshop established a pool of national trainers who will support the rollout and institutionalization of Climate Budget Tagging across Government, strengthening Zambia’s climate finance governance and climate-responsive public financial management systems.
The Government of Zambia expressed appreciation to COMESA and the NDC Partnership for their continued technical and financial support in advancing climate finance transparency and strengthening climate budgeting systems in the country.
About The Project:
COMESA, with financial support from the NDC Partnership is implementing a project by providing technical and institutional support to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MoFNP), the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE) and other key government agencies. The aim of the project is to develop and institutionalize budget codes for tracking annual budget allocation and climate change expenditures and enhance the government’s capacity to apply them consistently across sectors.
For more information about COMESA, click; https://www.comesa.int/
Press Statement – Climate Change Meeting March eng