NEWS– The UN and the African Union are urging countries on the continent to invest in natural disaster insurance because conditions like droughts, cyclones, diseases and floods are becoming more frequent with climate change.
This cones after Zimbabwe received an insurance payout of US 32 million dollars from the African Union African Risk Capacity Agency, for the devastation experience the country suffered from during the El Nino-induced drought.
While speaking in the Capital City Zimbabwe, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Zimbabwe, Edward Kallon, encouraged African countries to take part.
“Given the increasing frequency and intensity of climatic shocks, investing in prevention, because proactive strategies is no longer a choice but an imperative,” He said.
Kallon emphasized that such investments yield substantial returns by mitigating disaster impacts, safeguarding lives and ring-fencing developmental gains.
Kallon said the investment in Zimbabwe has helped expand access to Africa Risk Insurance for small farmers and small-to-medium enterprises, which are the backbone of Africa’s agricultural system and in addition the investment aids in implementing advanced systems that provide timely alerts and equipping communities with education and training on disaster preparedness.
After the drought caused by El Nino, Zimbabwe is bracing for La Nina, as forecasters predict it will spark flooding in the 2024/2025 rainy season expected in October this year.
The chairman of the African Risk Capacity Group Board, Anthony Mathae Maruping said that their collective goal is to enhance Africa’s resilience by providing Africa Union member states with tailored services to cover risks such as drought, tropical cyclones, floods, and disease outbreaks and to devise sustainable risk financing solutions.
“Africa Risk Caoacity will continue to leverage its continental stature, expertise and robust partnerships to bolster Zimbabwe’s readiness to respond to these threats using cutting-edge early warning tools. Similar interventions are and will be accorded to other African member states in similar situations,” He added.
From the US 32 million dollars payout, Zimbabwe’s government received US 16.8 million dollars, while about while 15 million dollars went to two aid organizations, the Start Network and the World Food Program.
The World Food Program representative in Zimbabwe Francesca Erdelmann, said that this was atimely support that will enable the organisation to provide essential food assistance and prevent negative coping strategies, ensuring that vulnerable populations can withstand these difficult circumstances and will be able to support 200,000 people in three districts.
However, the Zimbabwe’s mmMinister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, said the government will take care of other districts hit by the drought.
Additional Reporting from VOA Africa.
