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Malawi's recovery and reconstruction plans following Hurricane Idai have received support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), which is helping the country to take emergency measures and take measures to combat effects of climate change in the Southern Africa region.
Mateus Magala, Vice President of the Bank for General Services and Human Resources, led a delegation to Lilongwe this week to discuss the institution's response plans with representatives of the public and civil society in Malawi.
Magala met with government officials in Lilongwe, including Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall E. Gondwe, Homeland Security Minister Nicholas Dausi and Governor of Malawi Reserve Bank M Dalitso Kabambe.
Magala conveyed the sympathies of Bank President Akinwumi Adesina to Malawian President Peter Mutharika and the people of Malawi.
"We came to express our support for Malawi and to work with the Government of Malawi in its ongoing efforts to provide immediate relief and reconstruction in the affected parts of the country," he said.
Magala informed officials that the development finance institution had set up an emergency recovery fund, which will disburse US $ 100 million to revive reconstruction efforts in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. .
The Bank also plans to reallocate funds totaling $ 1.4 million to the immediate relief effort, reallocated through savings and extensions of ongoing Bank projects in the water sector. , roads and agriculture in Malawi.
In response to Magala, Gondwe, visibly exalted, said, "The African Development Bank could not have come up with a better time to join us in our efforts, which are now mainly focused on humanitarian aid and rebuilding … We were looking forward to the exceptional harvests in Malawi this year, but we lost all our harvest because of the cyclone. "
The Bank has already allocated $ 250,000 to Malawi, through its emergency relief fund, for the purchase of emergency food items aimed at averting hunger caused by the loss of crops harvested by farmers. severe floods. Gondwe acknowledged receipt of this fund during his meeting with the Bank delegation.
The Bank's Climate Fund will also provide Malawi with $ 150,000 to enable the authorities to badist communities and internally displaced people affected by the cyclone. The Bank's long-term plans include the design and development of climate insurance and climate change mitigation mechanisms.
Nearly sixty people have died and about one million people in 15 districts have been displaced by severe flooding, mainly in the south of the country, where whole villages have been submerged by water. Private sector activities and operators in the landlocked country of about 18 million people have also been severely compromised by the cyclone.
"The time has come to talk about permanent and long-term solutions to flood problems in Malawi. We must build houses and new structures, but we must first and foremost benefit from this calamity to accelerate our irrigation development systems, "Gondwe said.
The Bank delegation also discussed the need for long-term cooperation on economic development and resilience strategies with donors and development partners in Malawi, including the World Bank, the World Food Program. for Malawi and reputable diplomats representing Americans, Chinese, Egyptians, Germans and Japanese. Nigerians, Norwegians and Zimbabweans in Malawi.
Hurricane Idai struck Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in mid-March 2019. Mozambique, where the cyclone killed about 600 people, was the hardest hit. More than 1,600 people were injured, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
Malawi's Minister of Homeland Security, Dausi, estimates that about $ 365 million will be immediately needed for the reconstruction of bridges, schools, hospitals and housing.
The Bank delegation also included Patrick Zimpita, Executive Director for Malawi, Zambia and Mauritius; Heinrich Gaomab II, Executive Director for Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe; Kapil Kapoor, Director General, Regional Development and Business Development Office for Southern Africa; and Eyerusalem Fasika, head of the Bank's Malawi office for the Bank.
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