World Bank mobilises US$200 million to support flood response in Mozambique

The World Bank today announced the provision of US$200 million to Mozambique to mitigate the consequences of flooding and the ongoing rainy season, which since October has already claimed 235 lives and affected nearly 870,000 people. “We have immediate capacity, in the coming months, to mobilise US$200 million. And, depending on the needs, we will see how we can expand this programme,” said Fily Sissoko, Director of the World Bank Group for Mozambique, following a meeting at the Presidency of the Republic in Maputo with Mozambican President Daniel Chapo.

The meeting, which served to present to the Head of State the new five-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) of around US$3 billion, also allowed, according to Sissoko, discussion of the World Bank’s support in the “response to floods” in the country. “To ensure that our support is reinforced. We will also have a follow-up meeting with Minister Valá [Salim Valá, Minister of Planning and Development] on Wednesday to discuss the Government’s programme and how we can really scale it up,” he added.

At the conclusion of the meeting at the Presidency, Mozambique’s Minister of Finance, Carla Loveira, highlighted, within the framework of the partnership with the World Bank Group, “two additional lines” made available to the country, one of which is for “prevention and resilience,” amounting to US$450 million, to be implemented over three years. In addition, an emergency support of US$20 million, already made available, will fund urgent actions related to the floods. “Essentially for the purchase of food, medicines, and also emergency sanitary products,” said Carla Loveira.

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The total death toll in the current rainy season in Mozambique has risen to 235, with nearly 870,000 people affected since October, according to the latest update from the National Disaster Management Institute (INGD). According to information consulted by Lusa from the INGD database, updated at 12:05, 868,593 people have been affected in the current rainy season, corresponding to 200,739 families, with 12 missing persons and 331 injured. This tally represents five more deaths than reported in the Saturday update.

Floods in January alone caused at least 27 deaths, affecting 724,131 people, while Cyclone Gezani’s passage in Inhambane on 13–14 February caused four more deaths and affected 9,040 people, according to the INGD’s updated rainy season data. A total of 15,279 houses were partially destroyed, 6,133 completely destroyed, and 183,824 flooded during this rainy season. Additionally, 272 health units, 82 places of worship, and 717 schools were affected in less than five months.

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