Malawi calls for action, not just pledges, on disaster resilience at Africa conference

Malawi Exclusive

Maputo, Mozambique – Malawi has called on African countries and development partners to translate disaster risk reduction commitments into practical action and increased investment to build resilient communities.

Chief Secretary to the Government, Dr Justin Saidi, made the call at the International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Africa in Maputo, Mozambique, on Thursday.

Dr Saidi said Africa can no longer afford to make commitments on paper while communities continue to suffer from climate shocks.

He cited Cyclone Freddy in 2023 which killed over 1,000 people and displaced more than half a million in Malawi, and the 2023-2024 El Nino-induced drought which left over 4.4 million Malawians facing severe hunger, as stark reminders of the need for coordinated action.

“These disasters are not distant memories, they are a lived reality for Malawians. They remind us that disaster risk reduction cannot remain a conference declaration, it must become a daily investment in our people,” said Dr Saidi.

He highlighted that Malawi has taken bold steps to shift from response to preparedness.

He cited the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2023 which provides a modern legal framework, the National Disaster Risk Management Policy of 2025 which prioritizes early warning and community resilience, and the establishment of disaster risk financing mechanisms including the Disaster Risk Management Trust Fund and the Africa Risk Capacity insurance cover which is now protecting 53,000 households in Phalombe.

Dr Saidi however said laws alone are not enough without financing. He said Malawi spends most of its resources on emergency response, and called on development partners to support predictable, long-term financing for early warning systems, rehabilitation of weather stations, and community-led adaptation funds such as the Community Resilience Fund piloted in Nsanje.

“Every dollar invested in early warning saves up to fourteen dollars in losses. We are asking our partners and fellow African governments to invest in prevention before the disaster, not only in food aid after the disaster,” he said.

He added that only 28 out of 80 weather stations in Malawi are currently operational, limiting the reach of early warnings to rural communities who need them most.

He called for a continental push to modernize meteorological infrastructure and invest in community alert networks including radio, sirens and mobile SMS gateways.

The Maputo conference has brought together governments, UN agencies and civil society from across Africa to review progress on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Dr Saidi said Malawi is ready to share lessons from its anticipatory action model, where in August 2026 the country activated early drought response in 23 districts before the peak of the crisis.

He concluded by urging African countries to domesticate commitments with national budget lines for disaster risk reduction and to ensure that international climate finance reaches the most vulnerable communities directly.