Malawi’s 23 Districts Declared State Of Disaster

Malawi is one of the countries in southern Africa that has been worst hit by the effects of El Nino’s prolonged dry spell, pushing about two million households into hunger.

The situation has forced Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, to declare 23 districts out of the country’s 28 districts a state of disaster.

In his National Address delivered on March 23, 2024, President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera said he deliberately toured some parts of the country to see for himself how Malawians are dealing with effects of climate change.

“Significant numbers of Malawians do not have adequate supply of food. This is due to the El Nino dry spell that has hit some districts of the country,” he said.

Chakwera disclosed that the dry spell has heavily affected over 700,000 hectares of maize, leaving two million households without the staple grain.

The Malawi leader further said that his administration has put in place commendable strides aimed at alleviating hunger in the country.

Chakwera, has therefore, called on all Malawians and international communities to partner with the Malawi government to provide the households in affected districts with food items to ease their suffering.

“I wish to call upon all Malawians and international communities to assist these affected people with food, as this is the most urgent need in these affected districts,” urged President Chakwera.

Commenting on the state of the national address delivered by President Lazarus Chakwera, former Malawi head of state Dr. Joyce Banda said the President’s plea for assistance will help potential non-governmental and international community’s respond with velocity.

Banda, who was speaking at a rally she organized at Area 23 in Lilongwe, also implored politicians to leave aside politics of castigation and instead join hands with the government to support those impacted by the El Nino dry spell.

The 23 affected districts include Karonga, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Balaka, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Thyolo, Mulanje, Kasungu, and Chiradzulu, among others.

According to the 2024–2025 national budget recently presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda, President Lazarus Chakwera is still optimistic that through the establishment of the Agriculture Commercialization, Farm Cooperatives, and Afford Inputs Program (AIP), Malawi will soon achieve food security at both the household and national level.