The President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, on Tuesday called for immediate and joint action among African countries to curb the “growing” threat of drought and the “relentless” advance of desertification across the continent.
“Across Africa, the growing threat of drought and the relentless advance of desertification are putting millions of people at risk,” warned the Mozambican Head of State, stressing that “we must act now.”
Speaking during a virtual conference marking Africa’s Desertification and Drought Day, Chapo emphasized that “solutions are within the continent’s reach” and acknowledged that desertification and drought are global challenges affecting millions of people, particularly in Africa, “jeopardizing food security, water resource availability, and the survival of local biodiversity.”
“Countries in Southern Africa — such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa — often face severe droughts induced by the ‘El Niño’ phenomenon. Paradoxically, countries in the Horn of Africa — such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya — have faced severe droughts for years, driven by the ‘La Niña’ phenomenon,” he explained.
According to Chapo, the El Niño event that hit the continent between 2023 and 2024 caused one of the “most severe” droughts in Southern Africa in decades: “More than 30 million people across the region were affected, facing acute hunger, malnutrition, and rising humanitarian needs.”
“In the Greater Horn of Africa, the worst droughts in decades have been recorded, leading millions to face acute food insecurity, high rates of malnutrition — especially among children — and increased risks of disease outbreaks like cholera and measles due to limited access to clean water,” he said.
Chapo added that over 45% of African land is affected by desertification, and more than 65% of arable land is at risk of becoming desert, which could lead to “serious consequences” such as food insecurity, resource-related conflicts, and mass displacement caused by hunger and poverty.
“But this does not have to be Africa’s fate. There is still hope and a path forward (…), let us work together. Let us unite to restore Africa’s lands and, with them, pave the way for a future of dignity, stability, and opportunity for all,” he stressed.
For Daniel Chapo, the solutions to these climate crises include climate-smart agriculture, innovative disaster risk financing mechanisms such as sovereign insurance and anticipatory drought actions, as well as community-led reforestation efforts and large-scale initiatives like “The Great Green Wall” — a project aimed at restoring landscapes in the Sahel, south of the Sahara Desert, to combat desertification and climate change.
“Caring for our continent and its biodiversity can contribute significantly to tackling the climate crisis and accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (…). By restoring degraded landscapes, we can create new livelihoods for rural communities, reduce the risk of forced migration, revitalize ecosystems, and ensure long-term food security,” he added.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by global climate change, regularly facing floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, as well as prolonged periods of severe drought.
Between December and March alone, the country was struck by three cyclones, which, in addition to destroying thousands of homes and infrastructures, caused around 175 deaths in the northern and central regions.
Extreme weather events caused at least 1,016 deaths in Mozambique between 2019 and 2023, affecting about 4.9 million people, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics.
Source: Lusa