A statement released by the Bank said the financing has been provided under the International Development Association’s (IDA) Crisis Response Window as a credit and loan for the Malawi Floods Emergency Recovery Project which will run for four years.

Laura Kullenberg World Bank’s Country Manager for Malawi said in view of the emergency nature of the response, the Bank and Government have agreed to implement the project through the Secretariat of the Irrigation, Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Development (IRLAD) Project which is already positioned to handle livelihood and infrastructure issues.

“The bank’s intervention is an urgent response to a distress call by Government in view of the large number of people whose livelihoods were severely affected by floods through destroyed crops, houses, schools, clinics roads and bridges,” Kullenberg said.

The infrastructure to undergo rehabilitation and reconstruction will include secondary schools, health facilities, small scale irrigation facilities and water supply schemes.

More than half of the amount ($43 Million) will support infrastructure rehabilitation in the flood affected districts to disaster resilient standards, while US$15 million will help in restocking government’s strategic grain reserves.

Twenty-nine million US dollars will go towards livelihoods restoration and food security whereby families will participate in an input for assets (IFA) based labour intensive community infrastructure repair scheme which will enable beneficiaries to get farm inputs for the next growing season.

Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe hailed the Bank’s support as it will help government in replenishing stocks when some of it is released to the flood affected households.

“The restocking financing will not only enhance the country’s food security but also inject much needed fiscal stability by helping free up resources for the government to invest in other recovery interventions and developmental activities,” Gondwe noted.