Knowledge Bank and Peer Learning in Action on Disaster Risk Finance – REPAIR in Southern Africa
On March 24 and 25, 2026, delegates from Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Zambia gathered in South Africa for the 2026 REPAIR Annual Meeting. Convened alongside representatives from the World Bank Group and African Risk Capacity Ltd., the event aimed to strengthen the financial and operational frameworks that protect vulnerable populations from climate-related disasters, through technical training and peer-to-peer learning.
Day 1 opened with remarks from ARC Ltd. Board Chair Maxwell Mkwezalamba, acting CEO David Maslo, World Bank Regional Lead Caroline Cerruti, and the REPAIR program management team. Sessions focused on governance frameworks, program achievements, and lessons learned from past implementations. Mozambique, Comoros, and Madagascar shared powerful case studies on response plan preparation and Environmental & Social risk management, while a technical deep dive explored the link between REPAIR and other World Bank disaster response instruments, including flood response strategies in Malawi.
Day 2 shifted to technical excellence, with sessions covering the 2026 Annual Workplan and financial literacy requirements for member states, in-depth training on parametric insurance and sovereign risk transfer, and modules on aligning response plans with international environment and social (E&S) standards. African Risk Capacity Ltd. and the World Bank also outlined practical steps for accessing sovereign index insurance and governing insurance placements.
The peer learning exchange focused on:
Addressing bottlenecks to ensure efficient flow of funds for disaster response;
Using Fundschain to trace funding flows;
Preparing response plans;
Running crisis simulations; and
Using parametric insurance at sovereign and meso levels.
The meeting reinforced the value of regional collaboration as a cornerstone of the REPAIR program. By combining on-the-ground experience with technical capacity building, the nine participating countries are collectively building a regional ecosystem capable of managing systemic climate risks through collective action and private capital mobilization.
**The REPAIR program is supported by a $30 million grant from the Global Shield Financing Facility.