Malawi faces K324.8bn gapin El Niño preparedness

Malawi requires K488.5 billion to prepare for a possible El Niño‑induced dry spell in the 2026/27 season, but only K163.7 billion has been mobilised so far, leaving a funding gap of K324.8 billion.

The shortfall threatens to undermine national resilience efforts across food security, energy, health, and water systems, according to government’s preliminary preparedness plan.

In a statement on Friday signed by Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi, who also chairs the Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on El Niño, government said the K488.5 billion estimate is preliminary and will be refined as sector assessments and climate forecasts become clearer.

El Niño to affect crop yield, harvest. I Nation

President Peter Mutharika established the committee to coordinate national preparedness ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Saidi said the preparedness plan is anchored on two pillars: preparedness and resilience.

It covers 14 priority clusters, including agriculture, food security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, energy, protection and logistics.

“[The plan] focuses on strengthening early warning systems, safeguarding food and water security, pre-positioning supplies, and ensuring rapid response capacity,” Saidi said.

Key measures include securing 440 000 metric tonnes of maize to strengthen national food reserves, investing in livestock resilience, drought insurance, water security and pre-positioning essential supplies.

The energy sector is also flagged as vulnerable, with below-normal rainfall likely to affect water levels for hydropower generation.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) will coordinate implementation, while district councils will lead activities on the ground.

Twenty-three drought-prone districts will receive priority attention.

“We cannot afford to wait for the impacts of El Niño before responding,” Saidi said.

“There is no cause for panic. These measures are intended to prepare Malawi early and reduce the potential impact of the weather shock.”

“Early action remains Malawi’s best defence. Government is committed to protecting lives, safeguarding livelihoods, and building resilience against climate-related shocks. The success of these measures depends on collective effort by government, development partners, humanitarian organisations, the private sector, civil society, the media, communities, and citizens.”

Luanar’s Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD) director Innocent Pangapanga, hailed the plan, but urged swift implementation tailored to district needs.

“After the plan, next should be action. We need to be clear on where government will source the 440 000 metric tonnes of maize. Since we are struggling with foreign exchange, there should be intensification of irrigation farming between now and December through institutions such as the Greenbelt Authority, Luanar and others,” Pangapanga said.

Mzuzu University economist Christopher Mbukwa said the private sector must shift from disaster donations to building pre-disaster resilience.

“El Niños are associated with reduced agricultural production, which will exert pressure on commodity prices and foreign exchange. We need serious investment in irrigation farming. Both government and the private sector must support farmers with irrigable land. We also need deliberate plans on energy and food imports,” he said.

Dodma commissioner Wilson Moleni said the 440 000 metric tonnes includes 97 887 metric tonnes identified in the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) annual report released last month.

He said financial requirements for the El Niño preparedness plan and the MVAC response are separate and a comprehensive national response plan is still being finalised.

The MVAC report projects that about 2.6 million Malawians, 14 percent of the projected population, will face hunger during the 2026/27 consumption period. This is down from about 4 million people, or 22 percent, in 2025/26.

About 2.5 million of those affected are in rural areas, a 36 percent decline compared to the 2024/25 lean season. However, the number in urban areas of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu has risen by 27 percent to 81 405.

To protect livelihoods, MVAC estimates that vulnerable households will require 97 887 metric tonnes of maize worth about K124.3 billion for 3 to 4 months.

In the 2024/25 consumption year, 6.1 million people faced hunger. Government bridged the gap last year by importing 200 000 metric tonnes of maize from Zambia.

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