The government of Madagascar Friday received a symbolic cheque of $2.13 million from the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Insurance Company Limited to cover anticipated losses to livelihoods of its vulnerable population from the crop failure in the just concluded farming season.
The ARC payout is the result of drought insurance taken by the country with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) through its flagship programme, Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRiFi) Programme, which financed 100 per cent of the 2019/2020 insurance premium for sovereign drought risk transfer for the Republic of Madagascar.
The payout will be implemented to assist the lives and livelihoods of 600,000 vulnerable population affected by the drought, thereby preventing them from resorting to negative coping mechanism including eating their seeds, selling farm implements, internal displacement, forced migration, etc.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Richard RANDRIAMANDRATO, representing the Malagasy Government during the official handover ceremony stated in his speech that: “The drought insurance of African Risk Capacity is one of the sustainable solutions to strengthen the efforts of the Government and partners in the Southern region of Madagascar. It demonstrates the mutual assistance between friendly African countries to respond efficiently to natural disasters, particularly drought.
“Such a mechanism is beneficial for Madagascar as it will enable us to improve the conditions of farmers and the livelihoods of vulnerable populations in the “Great South” that are victims of recurrent drought, as well as to preserve their production capital. Early interventions to be implemented with this fund will focus on unconditional cash transfer and Cash for Work (CFW) for 15,000 vulnerable households, nutritional support for 2,000 children under 5 years of age, and water supply for 84,000 households,” he said.
Thus, this insurance mechanism supports the implementation of the National Disaster Risk Management Policy and Strategy, particularly the promotion of financial resilience to climatic hazards.
According to reports, Madagascar faces disaster risks from an increasingly variable and changing climate, which add to the challenges of widespread food insecurity. Due to its geographical position, the country is vulnerable to various climate shocks. Cyclones, floods, and droughts bring devastating consequences by putting considerable pressure on the country’s public finances as well as real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
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According to African Development Bank, natural disasters in Madagascar in 2017 caused an estimated $420 million in related damages. It is in this context that, in October 2019, Madagascar joined the ARC drought insurance risk Pool VI for the 2019/2020 crop season as one of the pilot countries of ADRIFI programme.
In his remarks, UN-ASG Mohamed Beavogui, the Director-General of African Risk Capacity said, “The payout made by ARC to support the drought-affected population in the Great South” region was made possible thanks to the leadership and commitment of the Government of Madagascar to protect its people. We also thank the AfDB for their laudable support through the ADRiFi programme. This is a vivid testimony that collaboration between African governments and development partners, both within and outside the region, using market approaches can go a long way in saving developmental gains on the continent.
“Our purpose in working with Member States to provide disaster risk insurance is targeted at promoting resilience and providing financial protection to the vulnerable population when perils occur”, remarked.
Lesley Ndlovu, the CEO of ARC Insurance Limited said, “We are glad that this payout will assist the government in quickly supporting its affected population to rebuild and recover from the effects of the drought and prevent them from resorting to negative coping mechanisms.
In establishing a framework for collaboration, ARC and AfDB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March 2017 to support African states to manage disaster risks and to be better prepared to effectively respond to climate related perils that seriously affect the continent. It is within this framework that the Bank provided the financial support to the Government of Madagascar for the payment of its insurance premium over a period of 5 years (2019-2023) through the ADRiFi programme.
“The insurance policy payout is timely, with Madagascar also facing the challenges of dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic. It demonstrates that risk transfer programmes can help countries manage the risks of climate-related disaster and release pressure on public finances when multiple crises occur,” said Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development at African Development Bank.
