Maputo, Feb. 23, 2026 (Lusa) - The World Bank announced on Monday that it will provide €170 million to Mozambique to mitigate the consequences of flooding and the current rainy season, which has killed 235 people and affected nearly 870,000 since October.
"We have the immediate capacity, in the coming months, to mobilise US$200 million [€170 million]. And, depending on the needs, we will see how we can extend this programme," said the World Bank Group Director for Mozambique, Fily Sissoko, after a meeting at the presidency office in Maputo with Mozambican president Daniel Chapo.
The meeting, which served to present the head of state with the new five-year Partnership Framework (CPF) of around US$3 billion (€2.55 billion), allowed, explained Sissoko, for discussion of the World Bank's support in "responding to the floods" in the country.
"To ensure that our support is strengthened. And we will have another follow-up meeting with Minister Valá [Salim Valá, Minister of Planning and Development] on Wednesday to discuss the Government's programme and how we can really scale it up," he added.
At the end of the meeting at the presidency office, Mozambique's minister of finance, Carla Loveira, highlighted, within the framework of the partnership with the World Bank Group, "two additional lines" made available to the country, one of which is for "prevention for resilience", worth US$450 million (€382 million), to be in force for three years.
In addition, emergency support of US$20 million (€17 million) has already been made available to finance urgent actions in response to the floods.
"Essentially for the purchase of food, medicines and emergency health products," said Carla Loveira.
The total number of deaths in the current rainy season in Mozambique has risen to 235, with almost 870,000 people affected since October, according to an update today by the disaster management institute.
According to information consulted by Lusa in the database of the National Institute for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (INGD), updated at 12:05 local time (10:05 in Lisbon), 868,593 people have been affected in the current rainy season, corresponding to 200,739 families, with 12 missing and 331 injured.
This toll accounts for five more deaths compared to Saturday's update.
The January floods alone caused at least 27 deaths - affecting 724,131 people - and the passage of Cyclone Gezani in Inhambane on 13 and 14 February caused four more deaths and affected 9,040 people, according to updated INGD data on the rainy season.
In addition, a total of 15,279 houses were partially destroyed, 6,133 completely destroyed and 183,824 flooded during the current rainy season. A total of 272 health facilities, 82 places of worship and 717 schools were affected in less than five months.
INGD data also indicate that 555,040 hectares of agricultural land were affected during this period, 288,016 hectares of which are considered lost, affecting 365,784 farmers. In addition, 530,998 animals died, including cattle, goats and poultry, and 7,845 kilometres of roads, 36 bridges and 123 aqueducts were affected.
Since October, the Mozambican disaster management institute has activated 149 accommodation centres, which have housed 113,478 people, of which 41 are still active, with at least 33,905 people.
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