Mozambique expects to need nearly 350 million euros to mitigate the effects of the severe El Niño phenomenon during the 2026-2027 rainy season, having already secured almost half of the amount through external support, announced today by the Government.
The Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael, said, at the opening of the XII Coordinating Council of the ministry he leads, that projections for the upcoming rainy season point to the occurrence of a severe El Niño, with greater incidence in the Southern and Central regions of Mozambique, potentially causing a significant reduction in rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and, occasionally, intense rains.
According to the minister, given the possible impacts of the phenomenon, the Government decided to anticipate the response and prepared a plan of 401 million dollars (349.2 million euros), covering areas such as water resources and water supply, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, health, education, social protection and food assistance.
“The Government is aware of the scale of this challenge, therefore it decided to act before the most severe effects are felt and prepared a Mitigation Plan valued at around 401 million United States dollars,” he declared.
From the total projected amount, the Government secured 125 million dollars (108.9 million euros) through external support, leaving about 276 million dollars to be mobilized to fully fund the interventions foreseen in the plan, according to Fernando Rafael, who added that resource mobilization should continue with the State Budget and partners.
The plan provides emergency food assistance for 343,773 people, corresponding to about 68,755 households, while social protection measures should cover about 234 thousand households. In agriculture, interventions are planned for more than 155 thousand farmers and 90,500 livestock keepers, with priority given to areas potentially most affected by drought and water scarcity.
Among the planned measures are the construction and rehabilitation of water supply systems, dams, reservoirs and multipurpose boreholes, the distribution of drought-resistant seeds, protection of livestock, the strengthening of school feeding, nutritional and health assistance, and support for the most vulnerable families.
“The response will be implemented in phases, beginning with preparation and immediate response, followed by recovery and stabilization and, subsequently, the strengthening of resilience and prevention,” said Fernando Rafael, advocating a response aimed at protecting populations and strengthening the capacity of communities to face future droughts and other extreme weather events.
The mitigation plan, details of which were revealed today, was approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, with government spokesperson Salim Valá explaining that the instrument provides the enhancement and replenishment of water security for human consumption, irrigation and drinking water for cattle, in addition to preparing the health, education, energy and industry sectors for the possible impacts of the phenomenon.
On the same occasion, the Government indicated that a multisectoral team is deepening the assessment of the financial and social impacts of El Niño.
The executive had already warned of potential effects in at least 52 districts of the Southern and Central regions, while a technical analysis coordinated by the Technical Secretariat of Food Security and Nutrition pointed to a possible 55% worsening of acute food insecurity by March 2027, to 1.84 million people.
