Malawi and Mozambique secure over USD22.3 million within seven days
The Regional Emergency Preparedness and Access to Inclusive Recovery (REPAIR) Program has disbursed over USD22.3 million within seven (7) business days to support urgent national flood response operations in Malawi and Mozambique, enabling governments to mobilise immediate relief. By providing rapid, pre-arranged financing, REPAIR enables governments to mobilise life-saving assistance immediately after a shock, without waiting for lengthy damage assessments or delayed emergency resource mobilisation.
The funds will be used to purchase life-saving supplies, including food and medical kits, water storage and sanitation equipment, and emergency shelter and household items.
Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) remains one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. In Malawi and Mozambique, the previous two months have been marked by continuous heavy rainfall triggering significant flooding that has claimed at least 115 lives, displaced tens of thousands of people and damaged critical infrastructure across both countries. In Mozambique, the situation was compounded by strong winds, wildfires and a cholera outbreak.
As participating countries in REPAIR, Malawi and Mozambique subsequently triggered activation requests of USD2.375 million and USD20 million, respectively, to complement their national relief and early recovery operations.
The Program released the funds within seven (7) business days of both activation requests. Speed is absolutely critical following a natural disaster, which is why REPAIR is committed to disbursing funds rapidly and effectively to its participating countries following shocks.
“In times of crisis, rapid support can make the difference between a shock and a humanitarian emergency,” said David Maslo, CEO of African Risk Capacity (ARC) Ltd., REPAIR’s implementing agency. “Through REPAIR, ARC Ltd is supporting Malawi and
Madagascar in these difficult circumstances by ensuring that critical funding reaches the government quickly, as demonstrated by this disbursement delivered within seven business days of the activation request, so that relief can be mobilised before conditions deteriorate.”
According to official figures from the Malawian government, the floods in Nkhotakota District and surrounding areas in late December 2025 directly affected over 49,000 people (approximately 10,900 households), claiming 12 victims and displacing 2,132 families who had to be relocated to temporary camps hosted in schools, churches and a health centre.
The country’s response to the floods is being coordinated by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), with support from the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), one of REPAIR’s pre-identified delivery channels. This delivery arrangement supports rapid mobilisation of resources and efficient distribution to affected populations, even in the immediate aftermath of a shock.
In Mozambique, flooding in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Sofala has partially or totally destroyed over 15,000 homes, directly impacting over 231,000 people. The death toll has already reached 112. In addition, 2,145 cases of cholera have been declared in Zambezia and Nampula provinces.
National relief operations are being led by the National Institute of Disaster Risk Management (INGD), which is working with the National Directorate of Water Supply and Sanitation and Ministry of Health, to deliver food, safe water and sanitation, and medicines to affected populations. These efforts are being hampered by damage to the national highway, the N1, preventing the movement of people and goods up and down the country.
The rapidity of the fund activations highlights the value of pre-arranged financing instruments designed to ensure that response efforts are not delayed by the mobilisation of emergency resources. By allowing governments to access funds quickly, REPAIR strengthens operational readiness and helps ensure that relief reaches communities when it can make the greatest difference.
REPAIR is a World Bank program, implemented by ARC Ltd., with financial support from the Global Shield Financing Facility (GSFF).
These are the Program’s third and fourth disbursements since its creation in July 2024. REPAIR had previously supported relief and recovery efforts in Comoros and Mozambique, following the passage of cyclones Chido and Jude, respectively.
These activations have allowed participating countries to benefit from each other’s experiences in accessing and delivering funds, while ongoing Simulation Exercises continue to reinforce multi-hazard preparedness and response systems and procedures.
“REPAIR is committed to strengthening not only the financial preparedness of its participating countries, but also their operational readiness. The current activations in Malawi and Mozambique have benefited from the lessons learned last year and from crisis simulation exercises to ensure that Ministries of Finance could promptly activate the program and move the funds swiftly to benefit the affected communities. The peer-to-peer learning between countries is a fundamental feature to create a regional disaster risk finance ecosystem, thereby enhancing the climate resilience of a region which is very susceptible to natural shocks,” explained Caroline Cerruti, World Bank Lead Financial Sector Specialist and REPAIR Regional Lead. “We thank our participating countries for their active engagement in REPAIR and pledge to stand by their side in times of crisis.”
Malawi recently joined REPAIR as part of the programme’s Phase 2, alongside Angola, Burundi, Seychelles and Zambia, while Phase 1 is comprised of Comoros, Madagascar and Mozambique.
A central component of REPAIR’s approach is the establishment of a Regional Climate Risk Fund, with an envelope of up to USD926 million, designed to increase climate resilience among participating countries by supporting timely and scalable responses to natural shocks based on their severity.
