IGAD Pushes Early Investment to Limit El Niño Damage and Recovery Costs

Addis Ababa, September 17, 2026 (ENA) —IGAD is calling on partners to invest in anticipatory action before El Niño-related impacts intensify, saying early preparedness can reduce damage to livelihoods, infrastructure and economies.

In his welcoming remarks at the IGAD Regional High-Level Forum on El Niño Preparedness for the Horn of Africa in Addis Ababa today, IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary Mohamed Abdi Ware emphasized the need for early action.

He said ICPAC’s forecast of above-normal rainfall in parts of the Horn of Africa requires countries to act before the impacts occur.

“In our region, every dollar invested in resilience can return up to three or four dollars in prevented losses,” Ware said, stressing the economic value of acting before disasters strike.

Ware also urged member states to activate preparedness plans, preposition supplies and share early warnings across borders, saying the region can reduce the consequences of El Niño through early action.

He called on development and humanitarian partners to invest alongside IGAD member states where anticipatory action is most needed, rather than waiting to finance recovery after disasters occur.

“The forecast has spoken. Now it’s our turn to act on it,” he said, urging the region to turn climate information into concrete early action.

UNDP Director of the Resilience Hub for Africa, Zeynu Ummer, said weaknesses in financing, cross-border coordination, infrastructure and recovery planning exposed by recent El Niño events are long-term development gaps.

He urged countries to integrate disaster risk financing into national budgets, saying reliance on humanitarian appeals is unpredictable and can leave responses underfunded.

Ummer called for long-term investments to address flooding and water stress, including water storage, watershed restoration, resilient transport corridors and joint management of shared water basins.

He said UNDP stands ready to support recovery assessments and help governments integrate resilience into development budgets, while also strengthening early action through existing local structures.

UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia Aboubacar Kampo said early-warning triggers must unlock financing and action before El Niño impacts intensify, including prepositioning essential supplies and strengthening disease surveillance.

He urged countries to protect essential services for children, including water, sanitation, healthcare, nutrition and education, while strengthening cross-border coordination to manage displacement and disease outbreaks.

El Niño is a climate phenomenon driven by warming Pacific Ocean waters that disrupts rainfall and weather patterns.

The forum comes as the Horn of Africa prepares for potential El Niño impacts, seeking to strengthen regional preparedness, early warning and anticipatory action before climate-related risks intensify.