The World Bank has approved a $208 million grant for Zambia to mitigate the social and economic impact of the severe drought affecting the southern African nation, the country’s finance ministry announced on Tuesday.
Southern Africa is experiencing its worst drought in years due to a combination of naturally occurring El Nino conditions and higher average temperatures from greenhouse gas emissions.
Zambia, along with neighboring countries Malawi and Zimbabwe, has declared a state of disaster as the drought has significantly disrupted food production and affected the livelihoods of millions. The World Bank grant aims to help Zambia respond to the drought’s impact by providing temporary cash payments to affected households.
“Specifically, it will support at least over 1.6 million households across 84 drought-impacted districts with emergency cash assistance over a 12-month period,” Zambia’s finance ministry said in a statement.
In a related move, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved an increase in financial support for Zambia last month, raising its assistance from $1.3 billion to $1.7 billion to help the nation cope with the drought.
Melissa Enoch
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