(Bloomberg) -- The World Bank has approved a further $200 million of grants for Zambia to help the nation cope with its worst drought in decades, according to a statement from the Finance Ministry. 

The Washington-based lender also approved an almost $8 million grant for women and girl empowerment, the ministry said Tuesday, citing a letter from the World Bank. 

Zambia will get a total $522 million in World Bank grants this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, which also boosted its financing to the southern African nation by about $386 million to help with the drought response.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in February declared the drought a national disaster and appealed for international aid two months later, with the nation facing a $900 million shortfall this year because of the severe weather. 

The drought has stoked already high inflation, which quickened to 15.2% in June, the highest rate in almost two and a half years. It’s also crimped growth. The economy grew at its slowest pace in two years in the first quarter. 

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