By 
By Delisa Magagula
Eswatini and other Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have spent a staggering E7.8 billion over the past decade mitigating risks caused by severe droughts and floods, a figure revealed this week at the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Forum in Ezulwini.
The money, channelled into emergency relief, infrastructure, recovery operations and early warning systems, underscores both the magnitude of climate-induced disasters in the region and the mounting pressure on governments to find sustainable solutions.
The five-day forum, hosted by Eswatini’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and supported by the World Bank and other partners, drew over 150 delegates from across SADC.
It provided a platform for scientists, policymakers, humanitarian agencies and disaster management experts to review the region’s response to recurring crises and to chart new approaches.
Central to the discussions was the economic burden that extreme weather continues to impose, draining national budgets and reversing development gains.
The E7.8 billion price tag reflects cumulative expenditure on both drought and flood interventions across member states. Officials noted that the bulk of this amount went into emergency responses such as food relief, water trucking, fodder distribution for livestock, and rebuilding infrastructure damaged by flash floods.
RELATED: GBV: SADC grappling with ending scourge
Another share has supported early warning systems, community awareness, and investment in drought-resilient infrastructure such as dams and irrigation schemes.
Eswatini itself has endured sharp economic losses from drought. The 2015–2016 El Niño event, one of the worst on record, cost the kingdom an estimated E3.8 billion, equivalent to over 7 per cent of gross domestic product and nearly one-fifth of government expenditure that year.
During that period, over 80,000 cattle perished, crop production collapsed, and major water sources such as the Hawane Dam nearly ran dry, forcing some schools to close.
Floods, while less frequent than droughts, have also exacted a toll. Sudden storms have damaged bridges, roads, and rural homes, often displacing families and requiring costly reconstruction.
With climate change amplifying rainfall variability, officials fear that the combined costs of floods and droughts will continue to climb unless stronger resilience measures are put in place.
Behind the numbers lie millions of affected households. The SADC Secretariat estimates that at least 68 million people in the region have been impacted by El Niño-induced droughts in recent years. These are families forced to sell livestock, skip meals, or migrate in search of water and income.
Farmers across Eswatini, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe have faced repeated crop failures, while urban residents endure erratic water supplies and power cuts linked to low dam levels.
Humanitarian appeals have become a constant feature. In 2024, SADC launched a US\$5.5 billion call for support to respond to food insecurity and water shortages, signalling that domestic resources alone cannot sustain the level of response required.
The E7.8 billion already spent by member states represents only part of the financial needs, as external partners continue to bridge gaps with food aid, technical support, and climate finance.
At the Ezulwini forum, delegates agreed that the financial burden of disasters makes a compelling case for shifting from reactive spending to proactive investment. The newly launched Drought Centre of Excellence, to be hosted in Eswatini, was presented as a key step in that direction.
Its mandate will include coordinating regional drought monitoring, standardising vulnerability assessments, and providing training and applied research to guide policy.
The Centre is expected to maintain digital resources such as hazard-mapping tools and climate models, while promoting data sharing among member states.
By harmonising early warning systems and building technical expertise, the Centre aims to reduce the reliance on emergency aid and allow governments to anticipate shocks more effectively.
Alongside it, the SADC Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was also unveiled. This regional mechanism seeks to synchronise disaster policies, strengthen preparedness, and pool resources for joint action.
RELATED: Eswatini pushes for multi-currency SADC-RTGS
Forum participants stressed that shared challenges require shared solutions, noting that weather systems do not respect borders and that coordination is essential for cost efficiency.
Despite progress, significant hurdles remain. Many vulnerability assessments are still conducted on an ad hoc basis, limiting the ability to compare risks across sectors and countries.
Early warning systems, while improving, do not always reach rural communities in time or in forms they can use.
Financing remains another sticking point. While billions have been spent, much of it has gone into relief rather than long-term adaptation, creating a cycle of dependency and repeated loss.
Eswatini’s Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, speaking at the opening of the forum, said the financial costs were ‘a wake-up call’ for the region.
“We are already paying billions of emalangeni and dollars each time droughts and floods strike. We must ask ourselves whether we will continue to spend this way, or whether we will invest differently to protect our future,” she said.
Civil society groups at the forum also highlighted the need for stronger community-based adaptation, pointing out those rural women and smallholder farmers are among the most affected yet least supported groups.
Calls were made for disaster financing mechanisms that can reach the grassroots swiftly and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
Eswatini has pledged to operationalize the Drought Centre of Excellence by 2026, with a steering committee involving representatives from across SADC.
The government says the Centre will not only serve the region but also put Eswatini on the map as a hub for climate resilience and disaster management innovation.
Regional partners, including the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Bank, have committed to provide technical support. However, long-term sustainability will depend on consistent funding from member states and stronger domestic resource mobilisation.
As the forum closed, one message resonated: the E7.8 billion already spent is not just an accounting figure but a stark reminder of the escalating costs of climate change in Southern Africa.
Whether the region can reduce future spending through resilience-building will depend on how swiftly the commitments made in Ezulwini are turned into action.
