The Government has urged stronger partnerships, sustainable health financing and early uptake of new medical innovations as AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Zimbabwe marked a decade of supporting the country’s HIV response.
Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary for the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr A.J.V. Maunganidze, Chief Director of Public Health Dr Celestino Dhege praised AHF for helping to strengthen Zimbabwe’s health system since it began operating in September 2016.
“Today is a celebration of an organisational milestone and an opportunity to reflect on a decade of partnership, recognise the progress achieved together, and reaffirm our shared commitment to building a resilient and sustainable health system,” he said.
Dhege said the partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care had widened access to HIV services while building the capacity of public health institutions.
He cautioned, however, that the global health financing landscape was shifting. Constrained fiscal space and changing development assistance priorities, has made sustainable funding mechanisms more urgent.
“For Zimbabwe, this reinforces the importance of domestic resource mobilisation, greater efficiency in the use of available resources, stronger health systems and partnerships that are aligned with national priorities,” he said.
He urged AHF to keep aligning their investments with the Government’s priorities and to reinforce national systems so that services remain sustainable.
Dhege also pointed to long-acting medicines as a turning point in HIV prevention. “Long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), including lenacapavir, could transform prevention programmes,” he said, “by offering an alternative to people who find daily oral medication difficult to use.”
” Zimbabwe must ensure that scientific advances translate into real benefits for the population through continued investment in prevention, early diagnosis, treatment adherence, differentiated service delivery and healthcare infrastructure. The Government,” he added, “is ready to work with partners, AHF included, to explore introducing and scaling up new interventions in line with national policies, regulatory requirements and available resources.”
AHF’s work in Zimbabwe began after they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The organisation has since supported Opportunistic Infection and Antiretroviral Therapy clinics at major hospitals, among them Parirenyatwa, Mpilo and Sally Mugabe Central Hospitals, helping to develop them into centres of excellence. The reach has also extended to provincial and primary healthcare facilities and selected correctional health institutions.
Beyond clinical care, Dhege said AHF has invested in infrastructure rehabilitation, medical and laboratory supplies, equipment, information and communication technology systems and human resources. These investments, he said, had improved the environments in which care is delivered and strengthened the ability of the Government’s facilities to serve communities.
He stressed that partnerships are central to national development objectives as Zimbabwe works towards Vision 2030 and implements the National Development Strategy 2 and the National Health Strategy 2026–2030. Universal health coverage, he said, demands quality healthcare and equitable access, leaving no one and no place behind.
At the press briefing which was held before the dinner celebration, AHF’s global leadership, Executive Vice President Dr Penninah Iutung said the first decade in Zimbabwe had proven the value of collaboration, community engagement and sustained investment. She called for greater health sovereignty, calling on African countries to strengthen domestic financing, local pharmaceutical manufacturing and resilient health systems as certainty around external funding fades.
Iutung said that the success in the HIV response should be judged not only by how many people are tested or on treatment, but also by retention in care, viral suppression and whether people living with HIV can lead healthy, productive lives.
AHF Chief of Global Advocacy Terri Ford highlighted the power of advocacy, describing media engagement as critical to sustaining public awareness and keeping HIV on the national agenda. Africa Bureau Chief Martin Matabishi appealed for continued commitment to the continent despite funding pressures, stressing that partnerships keep progress alive.
AHF Zimbabwe Executive Director Dr Enerst Chikwati said the decade-long journey had been anchored on partnerships with the Government, healthcare workers, communities and development partners. He reaffirmed the organisation’s pledge to provide quality HIV prevention, treatment and care regardless of people’s ability to pay.
The celebrations also featured testimonies from people living with HIV, who spoke of treatment, resilience and the value of healthcare access and community support.
Dhege closed by congratulating AHF Zimbabwe on the milestone and expressing hope for continued collaboration towards a stronger, more resilient health system able to deliver quality care to every Zimbabwean.
The anniversary black tie dinner held at the Golden Conifer in Harare drew AHF global and regional leadership, Government officials, healthcare workers, development partners, civil society organisations and the media, all gathered to take stock of ten years of HIV prevention, treatment and care. The In Total Band provided entertainment at the celebration of the decade long milestone
