Last month, the Government of Madagascar announced it was set to receive a payout of $10.7 million from the African Risk Capacity (ARC) following the impacts of tropical cyclone Batsirai, which has been completed.
The funds will go towards recovery efforts such as building temporary shelters, reconstructing residences, as well as providing seed and fertiliser to flood-impacted farmers and rural communities.
Payout financing will also help with food security by providing food rations and food supplements, with a focus on children, pregnant or breastfeeding women in vulnerable areas of the country.
ADB Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Beth Dunford commented: “Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change, prone to natural disasters including drought, floods and tropical cyclones.
“Risk pools such as the African Risk Capacity are cost-effective vehicles to help countries like Madagascar access to rapid financing for disaster response – especially through insurance. The ARC-ADRiFi partnership will enable Madagascar to implement programmes to assist the people impacted by cyclone BATSIRAI.”
The cyclone, which which ripped through central and southern Madagascar on the 5th of February 2022, was one of the most severe tropical cyclones in Madagascar in the last 30 years.
The financing of the insurance premium was made possible by the contributions of the Governments of the United Kingdom and Switzerland through the ADRiFi Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) managed by ADB, as well as the Government of Germany through ARC’s Premium Support Facility.
Christian Ntsay, Madagascar’s Prime Minister and Head of Government commented: “These funds will help the country, to a large extent, with post-cyclone reconstruction through activities considered to be priorities – particularly in the agricultural sector.
“Because of the floods, agriculture suffered a lot of damage, leading to the destruction of the means livelihood of smallholder farmers and rural communities.
The Malagasy National Disaster Management Agency (BNGRC) reported more than 124,000 people were affected, with at least 29,000 displaced and at least 121 deaths.
According to ARC’s subsequent assessment of the event, about 6 million people were exposed to cyclone BATSIRAI at windspeeds of up to 119 km/h.
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and ARC Group Director General, Ibrahima Cheikh Diong added: “Our support goes to the Government of Madagascar and our hearts to the people of Madagascar who have experienced devastation and destruction caused by tropical cyclone BATSIRAI.
“Madagascar has been one of ARC’s most active and leading Member States, and the first country to subscribe to ARC’s offered insurance policy against tropical cyclones.”
