The UK has pumped about $3 million (about K5.3 billion) into Malawi’s response and preparedness to the forecast potentially severe El Niño during the 2026/27 rainfall season.
British Deputy High Commissioner Ben Nicholson said the funding will support efforts to turn climate forecasts into early action and help communities and the agricultural sector prepare for the anticipated dry conditions.
“So the UK is working this year with approximately over three million US dollars so far in preparedness and anticipatory action, working with communities to mitigate and prepare for some of the impacts that we expect to see in El Niño,” he said.
Nicholson made the announcement in Lilongwe on Wednesday at the fifth National Climate Outlook Forum (Nacof-5) and an Impact-Based Forecasting workshop under the WISER ActionFirst programme.
The envoy said the UK was working with the Malawi Government, the UK Met Office and the Wiser climate programme to strengthen forecasting and ensure climate information was translated into practical interventions.
The support includes taking climate information to communities, working with government and agribusinesses, promoting drought-resistant crop varieties and monitoring market prices to anticipate possible changes in maize availability.
In her opening remarks, Minister of Natural Resources Patricia Wiskes said the government is treating the El Niño forecast as an opportunity to prepare rather than a prediction of disaster.
“A forecast such as this one is not a prophecy of hardship; it is an invitation to act early, act together and act smart,” she said.
The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services has forecast a drier and more erratic 2026/27 rainfall season, particularly in southern and central Malawi, where communities are likely to experience below-normal rainfall, delayed onset and prolonged dry spells.
