Malawi’s El Niño plan faces K325bn funding gap

Malawi has drawn up a K488.5 billion plan to prepare for the El Niño weather threat, but with only K163.7 billion secured so far.

This means u nearly K325 billion remains unfunded as the country braces for heightened food-security risks.

The funding gap raises questions about how much of the government’s preparedness plan can be implemented before vulnerable communities, particularly in the Southern Region, begin feeling the effects of dry spells, drought and extreme rainfall.

Chief Secretary to Government Justin Saidi said the 2026/27 preparedness plan is built around preparedness and resilience and covers 14 priority areas, including agriculture, food security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, energy, protection and logistics.

“We need more partners to ensure Malawi is adequately prepared before the weather shock worsens,” Saidi said in Lilongwe during a government-private sector engagement on El Niño preparedness.

According to a presentation by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Malawi also needs about 440,000 metric tonnes of maize to strengthen national reserves and support emergency response.

The government plans to replenish strategic food reserves, position food in high-risk areas, protect supply chains and improve access to climate information, but the financing gap could leave some of these interventions under pressure.

The Southern Region carries some of the heaviest risks, with 12 districts, including Mangochi, Balaka, Blantyre, Phalombe, Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa and Nsanje, exposed to varying levels of dry spells, severe drought and extreme rainfall.

For communities in these areas, the preparedness plan is more than a government document, it could determine how quickly food reaches households when local supplies come under pressure.

Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Ronald Ngwira said the private sector should therefore see El Niño as an economic and business-continuity issue rather than solely a disaster-management concern.

He said businesses could contribute through logistics, storage, transport, digital systems, insurance, finance, agricultural support and business-continuity programmes.

With K324.8 billion still to be found, the challenge now is whether government and its partners can mobilise the resources quickly enough to turn Malawi’s preparedness plan into protection for the people most at risk.