Malawi to benefit from AUC’s urban resilience programme

Malawi is expected to benefit from an Urban Resilience Program which is being developed by the African Union Commission (AUC).

This is part of the AUC’s mission on the assessments of impacts of Cyclone Freddy.

Speaking after meeting representatives of councils and communities affected by the cyclone in Blantyre recently, AUC’s technical coordinator for disaster reduction unit Gatkuoth Kai said through the programme, the organization envisages urban centres that are economic hubs for supporting lives in the African continent.

Kai further said the AUC will work with national governments to strengthen community resilience.

“We are a continent with very high rapid urbanization rate and we construct our houses without putting into consideration disaster risks. We will be working with governments and cities to build urban resilience and make urban centres social economic hubs that are supporting lives and developments of the continent,” said Kai.

Meanwhile, Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA)’s director of disaster preparedness and response Moses Chimphepo has disclosed that the country needs close to $700 million to recover from the devastating effects of the cyclone.

“We need $680 million for us to recover and for the country to achieve that, it requires efforts and support from various partners. Highlighted Chimphepo.

He added that; “they will come up with a report and present it to the AUC. From there, the AUC will look at how best they can assist the country in recovering from the tragedy. AUC also provided some funds in the response phase which hugely assisted in responding to the immediate needs of the affected people.”

Apart from engaging affected councils and communities, the 12-member mission also held meetings with DoDMA, various disaster risk management stakeholders and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.