Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
AS Zimbabwe closes the chapter on 2025, the year will be remembered less for the milestones it set out to celebrate and more for the resilience it demanded from the country’s HIV and AIDS response.
Entering the year, optimism was high. Zimbabwe had already achieved the ambitious 95-95-95 targets, meaning 95 % of people living with HIV know their status, 95 % of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 95 % of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression. For health authorities, 2025 was expected to be a consolidation year on the road to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
But that trajectory was abruptly altered in January.
According to National AIDS Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Bernard Madzima, the arrival of a new United States administration triggered an immediate halt to funding for programmes supported by USAID and PEPFAR, sending shockwaves through Zimbabwe’s health sector.
“For the HIV and AIDS programme, when we entered into 2025, there was a lot of expectation, noting that the country had achieved the 2025 targets of 95, 95, 95. As early as January, when the new U.S. administration came into office, there was a sudden cut in funding in terms of programs which were supported by USAID and PEPFAR.
“That cut in funding resulted in a lot of things. It impacted the supply of ARVs and laboratory commodities. It also impacted human resources, because the programs used to support a lot of health workers in terms of their salaries, in terms of their remuneration. So when January started, inasmuch as we anticipated funding cut levels over a period of approximately four to five years, until 2030, it became abrupt. And there was a lot of uncertainty in the sector,” he said.
Faced with the prospect of treatment disruptions, the National AIDS Council, working alongside the Ministry of Health and Child Care, moved swiftly to assess gaps and mobilise domestic resources to stabilise the system.
“So, as the National Health Council, together with the Minister of Health and Childcare, we had to quickly assess the situation and make sure that we identified the gaps which were there and addressed them using local resources. This was the major highlight of the project, and, this was the first of the five years of 2025, the abrupt stop-work order by the US government. I am glad to say that we finished 2025 without any major disruption, especially to the supply of ARVs and laboratory commodities. The country had to think outside the box and ensure that we get resources for those commodities,” Dr Madzima said.
As the country looks ahead to 2026, the National AIDS Council is finalising the Zimbabwe National AIDS Strategic Plan 5 (ZNASP V), covering the period 2026 to 2030. The strategy is designed to confront the new funding landscape head-on, prioritising alternative financing models, stronger domestic investment, and full integration of HIV services into the broader health system.
“The key issue is funding. If we are to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, HIV programmes can no longer operate as silos,” Dr Madzima said.
Prevention, particularly among key populations, will be at the heart of the next phase. Zimbabwe has already begun rolling out long-acting HIV prevention methods, including the bi-monthly injectable cabotegravir, targeting individuals at the highest risk.
In 2026, authorities plan to pilot Lenacapavir, a groundbreaking twice-a-year injectable prevention option, in partnership with the Global Fund and other stakeholders.
“The new infections in the general population, the incidence remains at around 0.8%, which is low. We are talking about maybe numbers, in terms of numbers, I know in 2023 it was about 17 000 people who got new infections. But the key thing is that there are populations, which are sub-populations, which are affected more than others. These are what we term key populations. Here I am talking of sex workers, I’m talking of men who have sex with men, and unfortunately, children, and mother-to-child transmission. So, as we look at the long-acting prevention methods, which are now in place, the cabotegravir, which is a bi-monthly injection, and the Lenacapavir, which is a twice-a-year injection, we really want to be targeting those key populations to prevent HIV transmission,” Dr Madzima said.
If successful, the pilot will pave the way for wider national rollout, offering a discreet, longer-lasting prevention alternative that could significantly reduce new infections among vulnerable groups. For the National Aids Council, the lessons of 2025 are clear – the year exposed the risks of overreliance on external funding, but it also demonstrated Zimbabwe’s capacity to adapt, mobilise local resources, and protect hard-won gains.
As the country steps into 2026, focus is no longer just on sustaining progress but on re-engineering the HIV response for a future defined by self-reliance, integration, and precision targeting, ensuring that even in a changing global landscape, no one is left behind.
