Mutharika sets up El Niño taskforce

As Malawi braces for a potentially difficult 2026/27 rainy season, President Peter Mutharika has taken steps to ensure the country is not caught off guard.

President Peter Mutharika has since set up an Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee to provide strategic oversight on the country’s preparedness for the possible impacts of El Niño during the 2026/27 rainfall season.

The committee will be chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government, Justin Adack Saidi, according to a government press statement seen by this publication.

Government says forecasts from the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services indicate a high likelihood of El Niño conditions.

The statement shows that El Nino is expected to bring below-normal rainfall and dry spells in parts of the Southern Region from October to December 2026, and fewer rainy days between January and March 2027.

The conditions pose risks to agriculture, food security, water, energy, health, nutrition and livelihoods.

To address this, government has developed the MK488.5 billion 2026/27 National El Niño Preparedness Plan.

The plan is built around two pillars: Preparedness and Resilience, and covers 14 priority clusters including agriculture, food security, health, water and sanitation, energy and logistics.

The press statement further detailed that MK163.7 billion has already been mobilised through ongoing programmes, leaving a financing gap of MK324.8 billion.