Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has successfully reached 90% of the 4.4 million food-insecure Malawians targeted in the 2023/2024 lean season food insecurity response programme.

Commissioner for Disaster, Charles Kalemba, disclosed this in Lilongwe during an after-action review meeting organized for district councils in the Central Region.

However, Kalemba noted that food insecurity remains a challenge and that DoDMA’s workload continues to grow.

He said the department is using a lot of money on response efforts instead of building resilience.

Kalemba also urged district commissioners and council CEOs to empower local communities and utilise available water resources for irrigation farming to boost food production.

Meanwhile, Deputy Country Director for the World Food Programme, Simon Danhere, has said their target is to assist 2.1 million of the 9 million food-insecure people affected by El Niño in the country.