President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reiterated his government’s commitment to ending HIV in Zimbabwe, stressing that broadening access to prevention, treatment, and integrated healthcare remains at the center of the national HIV response. He delivered the remarks ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day commemorations, observed globally every 1 December.
World AIDS Day has, since 1988, stood as a moment of international reflection—an opportunity to recognize progress made, honor lives saved, acknowledge ongoing challenges, and renew determination to eliminate HIV as a public health threat. Zimbabwe, once among the countries hardest hit by the epidemic, has in recent years been celebrated as a model of resilience, innovation, and effective national programming.
President Mnangagwa said HIV remains a major public health priority, and emphasized that Zimbabwe will continue mobilising resources to protect the significant gains registered over the years. He highlighted that the country has made “remarkable progress,” with new HIV infections reduced by more than 80% in the past decade. National HIV prevalence has also fallen from around 14% to 11%, supported by widespread treatment access and increasingly decentralized health services.
Addressing the nation, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe’s performance against global targets reflects the combined efforts of government, communities, health workers, and development partners.
“This year we commemorate this day with immense pride,” he said. “Not only did Zimbabwe reach the global 95-95-95 targets and achieve epidemic control in 2022, but we have now surpassed the targets. Today, 97% of people living with HIV know their status, over 95% are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, and 96% of those on treatment are virally suppressed.”
Mnangagwa Reaffirms Zimbabwe’s Commitment to Ending HIV
He added that these gains illustrate the effectiveness of national leadership and the strength of Zimbabwe’s collective response. Viral suppression—ensuring the virus is undetectable and cannot be transmitted—remains one of the strongest indicators of progress in ending HIV as a public health threat.
This year’s World AIDS Day is being commemorated under the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response.” The theme reflects long-standing and emerging challenges affecting health systems globally, including declining donor support, the lingering impact of COVID-19, climate-related health emergencies, and new disease outbreaks such as Mpox.
President Mnangagwa said the theme is timely, particularly as Zimbabwe and many other countries struggle with reduced global financing at a time when the need for strong health systems is growing.
“Global funding has declined, particularly at a time when we are recovering from COVID-19 disruptions and confronting new pressures from non-communicable diseases, climate change-related health emergencies, Mpox, and other outbreaks,” he said.
Despite these challenges, President Mnangagwa stressed that Zimbabwe remains committed to strengthening domestic financing to ensure the sustainability of the national HIV response.
The President underscored that shifting from heavy dependence on external funding to sustainable local resource mobilisation is now at the heart of Zimbabwe’s long-term strategy.
“Government remains committed to mobilising domestic resources to ensure no one is left behind,” he said. “We are transforming our response from dependency to self-determination and from fragmented vertical programmes to a fully integrated national health system.”
He highlighted the continued role of the National AIDS Trust Fund, widely known as the AIDS Levy, which has served for years as a reliable domestic funding mechanism for HIV programmes. The fund supports treatment procurement, prevention initiatives, and national monitoring systems.
To further strengthen service delivery, the government is expanding integration of HIV services within primary healthcare. This integration ensures that testing, treatment initiation, advanced clinical care, and preventive services are available at all levels of the health system—from rural clinics to urban hospitals.
The President also laid out a roadmap for sustaining progress and accelerating national efforts to end AIDS. The strategy includes expanding access to prevention tools such as pre-exposure medication, scaling up treatment coverage, integrating HIV services with maternal health, TB care, and non-communicable disease management, and tackling stigma and gender-based barriers that inhibit access to care.
“As we look ahead, our focus is clear: expand access to prevention and treatment; integrate HIV services with other health interventions; address gender inequalities and stigma; and ensure the sustainability of our response through domestic resource mobilisation,” he said. “HIV will remain a public health priority as part of our broader pursuit of universal health coverage.”
Zimbabwe’s national health financing philosophy—“more money for health and more health for the money”—continues to guide efforts to strengthen the resilience and equity of the country’s healthcare system. Officials say this approach will be essential in maintaining recent gains and positioning Zimbabwe firmly on the path toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.
Source- ZBC
