UN Agency asks for $228 million to help national disaster drought

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has asked for $228 million in response to the country’s worst drought in decades.

In February, Zambia experienced the least rainfall since records began in 1981. The concerning consequences mean that over nine million people in 84 out of the 17 districts are affected. It directly signals to the increasingly frequent effects of climate change which are impacting Africa severely. The economic effects are highly troubling with average food inflation increasing by 14.2% between December 2022 and December 2023. Such price increases have had grave consequences for contributing to malnutrition amongst the population, with 4% of children under five being acutely malnourished.

The $228 million called for by the UN Agency stands alongside the $900 million which President Hichilema called for in February when he declared the drought a national disaster.

The International Monetary Fund has said it is in “active discussions” with the Zambian government to assess additional funding in the face of the devastating challenges posed by the drought.

In its appeal, the OCHA said “Zambia is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis, driven by the impacts of El Niño, the recent cholera outbreak and a worsening economic situation.”

The OCHA’s appeal comes in close situ to The African Union’s climate insurance agency’s pay-out of $60 million to Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to support them in minimising the impacts of the drought. Ibrahima Cheikh-Diong who leads the African Risk Capacity agency said the payments would be received in a few week’s time.