African Risk Capacity (ARC) and the government of Lesotho have signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to scale up national disaster risk management, said the ARC on Friday.
ARC, a specialized agency of the African Union (AU), said the MoU is meant to assist Lesotho to address the impact of extreme weather conditions.
“ARC will now work with the Government of Lesotho to achieve the aims of the MoU and improve the country’s capacity to better plan, prepare and respond to extreme weather events and disasters for the food security of its vulnerable populations,” said ARC Director General Ibrahima Cheikh Diong.
He pointed out that African countries urgently need to strengthen their disaster risk response capacities due to increasing extreme weather patterns.
“ARC understands that natural disaster risks are not avoidable, but the consequences could be managed with the right tools such as we effectively deployed in many African countries that have faced similar catastrophes,” he said.
Lesotho government welcomed the MoU and pledged to implement it for the benefit of the people.
“This MoU will not just be an agreement for the sake of agreement. It will be implemented and produce tangible results. The government of Lesotho is eager to join efforts with the ARC to address the persistent climate risks faced by the country, especially in the context of drought,” said the government in a statement.
In the 2019-2020 season Lesotho experienced a 60 percent fall in cereal production as compared to 2018.
