Malawi: Localising climate mobility data for early warning and planning in Mzuzu

Mzuzu City, the capital of Malawi’s Northern Region, is experiencing rapid urbanisation and the highest intercensal growth rate in the country at 5.4%. Floods and dry spells in the rural districts of Karonga, Rumphi and Chitipa have pushed households to Mzuzu in search of improved livelihoods. Many new arrivals settle in informal settlements with limited tenure security, increasing pressure on water, housing, land and health services.

City planning and disaster response in Mzuzu have historically relied on fragmented data from national agencies, with limited real-time, disaggregated data on human mobility and climate risk at ward level. Communities in flood-prone wards received warnings 24 to 48 hours late, after damage had already occurred, and women, youth and persons with disabilities were under-represented in municipal databases.

From 2024 to 2026, the Initiative for Climate Action and Development (ICAD) piloted a data management approach in three wards of Mzuzu: Masasa, Zolozolo and Mchengautuba. Thirty community monitors, 60% of whom are women, collect monthly data on rainfall, flood points, new arrivals, shelter conditions and service gaps, covering 200 households per ward and around 2,600 people in total. During the January 2025 floods, early alerts from community monitors enabled timely community action and pre-positioning of relief to affected areas.

Key takeaways:

1. Community-generated data works: local data collected by communities is timelier and more actionable for municipal decision-making than national datasets alone.
2. Link data to budget and planning: data only drives action when it is linked to City Council planning cycles and budget lines.
3. Gender and inclusion need explicit protocols: without them, mobility data will miss the most vulnerable.
4. Community monitors are recognised as trusted focal points, which has strengthened trust, accountability and ownership, and led to visible follow-up on matters such as drainage clearing and planning.