Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has called on southern African countries to use their resources to help countries affected by drought in the region.

Mr Hichilema made the call on Facebook after participating in a virtual extraordinary summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state and government.

He said solidarity and unity were needed to combat the humanitarian crisis caused by drought due to the El Nino weather conditions.

“Unless we collectively utilise our resource endowments to support deficit areas, our regional economies will suffer, and our economic gains could be reversed due to this humanitarian crisis,” he added.

According to him, the debilitating drought’s impact on food and energy security in the region could not be overemphasised, as the crisis has spared no country.

He commended the solidarity and unity displayed at the summit to combat the challenge.

Mr Hichilema added that strategies for water harvesting and using coal as an alternative energy source should be urgently explored.

Some countries in the region have experienced droughts caused by poor rains during the 2023/2024 rainy season, which affected crop production.

Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe have declared states of disaster and emergency and appealed for support to tackle the negative impact of the drought. 

(Xinhua/NAN)