Drought recovery project starts this month
People who were affected by drought and hunger last year and were earmarked to benefit from the Malawi Drought Recovery and Resilience Project (MDRRP) should expect assistance anytime this month.
This is according to MDRRP National Coordinator Dickxie Verson Kampani.
This follows a two-day workshop MDRRP organised for local government stakeholders in Lilongwe to sensitise them on how to effectively implement the project in their various capacities.
Kampani pointed out that implementation of the project has delayed due to disbursement processes after the approval was made by the World Bank.
“The Government of Malawi negotiated this project following the drought disaster that we experienced last year and the World Bank responded with $104 million for the project which has several components. This project was declared effective in January, meaning that we could start implementing it.
“However, the resources have just come in, so we would like to sensitise the people who will be part of the implementation teams in the districts, in the regions, in the ministries as well as the communities,” Kampani said.
He said the project has established resilient strategies that would empower the communities that were affected in the disaster zones to become self-sustaining through promotion of drought-resilient crops, development of water schemes and use of livestock that can enhance economic activities for the affected people.
World Bank Director of Debt and Aid Management Madalo Nyambose stressed that the bank expects successful implementation of the project.
She said special structures have been put in place to ensure that funds for the project are not be mismanaged in any way.
“We have a project implementation unit that has got an oversight role over the implementation of the project. Beyond that, our expectation is that the districts are going to follow the rules and regulations that have been laid in handling public resources. We expect that they will report appropriately, account for every coin and make sure that they get the results at the end of the day,” Nyambose said.
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