Staff Reporter
The National AIDS Council (NAC) has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat in Zimbabwe by 2030, with a renewed focus on sustaining uninterrupted HIV services and meeting global treatment benchmarks.
Speaking after the Council’s Annual General Meeting,held in Harare, yesterday, NAC Board Chairperson, Mrs Nester Mukwehwa said the organisation remains focused on strengthening service delivery for people living with HIV and ensuring the resilience of national programmes despite funding challenges.
“Our top priority is to achieve the 2030 target of ending HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. To do that, we must ensure our programmes continue without disruption. We are committed to maintaining services for people living with HIV and to securing continued funding support,” said Mukwehwa.
She emphasised the Council’s determination to meet the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets — that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
While acknowledging a funding gap caused by the Trump-era aid freeze that saw some international donor support withdrawn, Mukwehwa explained that the setback has not derailed national efforts. She said NAC responded proactively by absorbing affected operations into its own systems to retain capacity and expertise.
“We integrated human capital from affected organisations into our structure. For example, some personnel who were previously employed under Population Health International are now on the NAC payroll. This allowed us to preserve the knowledge and experience we had built over the years,” she noted.
Mukwehwa also highlighted the significance of Zimbabwe’s domestic financing strategies in sustaining the national HIV response. She said the AIDS Levy, a dedicated tax used to fund HIV programmes along with direct Government budget allocations, has become a critical pillar of stability and independence.
“These domestic resources have been vital in ensuring continuity. They give us the ability to manage our programmes without being entirely dependent on external aid,” she added.
As Zimbabwe continues to navigate the evolving global funding landscape, NAC’s approach underscores the importance of resilience, local ownership, and strategic adaptation in achieving long-term public health goals.
