The Government directed its institutions and co-operating partners to turn months of El Niño warnings into immediate action. The aim is to ensure that food, water and essential supplies reach vulnerable communities before the rains arrive.

Green Economy and Environment Minister Dr Gilbert Siame said early warnings would only be meaningful if they translated into practical measures on the ground. He wants the advance notice used to stop the weather phenomenon from developing into a national crisis.

“We have had this warning for months. Our duty now is to act so that El Niño does not become a crisis,” Dr Siame said.

He was speaking during a briefing at his ministry with Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) national co-ordinator Mr Norman Chipakupaku. Dr Siame commended the Zambia Meteorological Department for issuing an early alert, and the DRMD for activating response clusters to co-ordinate preparations across key sectors.

Preparedness, the minister said, should be judged by tangible results, chiefly whether water, food and other essential supplies reach at-risk communities ahead of the rainy season. He added that the Grow Zambia Agenda would be aligned with the 24-hour economy to strengthen productivity, resilience and economic activity while responding to climate-related risks.

Mr Chipakupaku set out what the Government has already put in place. The activated clusters cover agriculture, food security and livestock, health, education and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, energy, protection, emergency logistics, and risk communication and community engagement.

The Food Reserve Agency is working to build the national strategic food reserve to more than one million metric tonnes. Boreholes are being drilled and rehabilitated in areas at risk of water shortages.

Zambia also carries a financial cushion against drought. Mr Chipakupaku said the country has maintained sovereign drought insurance with the African Risk Capacity (ARC) since 2019, which delivered timely payouts during the 2021/2022 and 2024/2025 seasons.

He urged the public to follow weather forecasts and advisories issued by the Zambia Meteorological Department, and to rely only on official Government channels for information on the season.

In the farming communities that stand to feel the impact first, traditional leaders are calling for a bigger role. Chief Chibwika of Mwinilunga District said the Government’s efforts to sensitise farmers should be complemented by traditional authorities and agriculture experts, who can give practical guidance on adapting farming practices to changing weather patterns.

His chiefdom has developed its own El Niño preparedness plan, implemented with agriculture extension officers, World Vision and seed companies. The initiative brings farmers and traditional leaders together to learn about the effects of El Niño and the measures available to limit them.

Chief Chibwika said timely information would help farmers decide when to plant, which seed varieties to use and how to monitor weather changes. He thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for supporting farmer sensitisation in the chiefdom.

The private sector believes the region is better placed than in past droughts. Standard Bank head of agribusiness Mr Louis van Ravesteyn said Southern Africa is entering the potential El Niño cycle with advantages it lacked before.

These include improved dam levels following recent rainfall seasons, advances in seed genetics, healthier grazing conditions and stronger carry-over grain stocks. Compared with the 2015/2017 and 2023/2024 drought periods, the bank said, the sector now benefits from stronger balance sheets, better climate intelligence, expanded irrigation capacity, climate-smart farming practices and more robust contingency planning.

“El Niño conditions have arrived and the agriculture sector will need to plan for it accordingly,” Mr van Ravesteyn said. Southern African agriculture, he added, “is materially better prepared.”

The bank said the challenge now is to keep building resilience, maintain vigilance and turn lessons from previous climate shocks into practical action.

The season also carries economic risks beyond the farm. Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) national secretary Dr John Musantu listed the projected El Niño conditions during the 2026/2027 agricultural season among the factors to watch. If those risks materialise unfavourably, he said, they could put pressure on inflation, the exchange rate and broader financial stability.

The World Bank also named El Niño among the risks to Africa’s growth outlook, alongside a prolonged Middle East conflict, high interest rates in advanced economies and elevated debt-servicing costs.

The DRMD response clusters are already active, and the Government has asked institutions to show results before the onset of the rains.

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