The World Bank has approved a $208 million grant for Zambia to help mitigate the social and economic impact of the drought affecting the southern African nation, according to its finance ministry on Tuesday.

Southern Africa is experiencing its worst drought in years due to a combination of the naturally occurring El Niño phenomenon, and higher average temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions, Reuters news agency reports.

Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe have all declared a state of disaster due to the drought, which has severely impacted food production and the livelihoods of millions of people.

The United Nations has described Zambia's current agricultural season as the “driest” in over 40 years. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that over nine million people in 84 of Zambia's 117 districts are affected by the drought.

As a result, the World Bank grant aims to help Zambia effectively respond to the impact of the drought by providing additional temporary cash payments to affected households.

“Specifically, it will support at least over 1.6 million households across 84 drought-impacted districts with emergency cash assistance over a 12-month period,” according to a statement released by the Zambian finance ministry.

The World Bank financing will also strengthen existing social protection programs, according to the ministry.

Last month, the International Monetary Fund's board approved a request from the Zambian government to increase its financial support to Zambia from $1.3 billion to $1.7 billion. This support aims to help the nation respond to the impact of the drought.