Zimbabwe’s domestic financing model, anchored by the National AIDS Trust Fund, popularly known as the AIDS Levy, is strengthening the country’s capacity to sustain its HIV and AIDS response while reducing reliance on external funding.
In his remarks to the visiting Tanzanian delegation on domestic funding of the HIV and AIDA response, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, said the domestic resource mobilisation mechanism had become a critical pillar in financing national HIV priorities.
“Zimbabwe recognises that a sustainable HIV response must be anchored in national ownership, predictable domestic financing, strong institutions and effective partnerships,” said Dr Mombeshora.
He explained that approximately 50 percent of the resources generated through the AIDS Levy were allocated towards treatment, care and support, while 12 percent financed prevention interventions.
“The balance supports programme implementation, logistics, monitoring and evaluation, coordination and other enabling activities,” he said.
Dr Mombeshora said the resources were strategically deployed to address critical programme needs and financing gaps, while complementing allocations from the Government Treasury and contributions from development partners.
“Domestic financing was not intended to replace international partnerships but to provide a firm foundation for national ownership and the long-term sustainability of HIV programmes,” he said.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of accountability in managing resources.
“Government had established mechanisms to track expenditure and assess whether investments were producing meaningful improvements in programme performance and health outcomes,” Dr Mombeshora said.
These include National AIDS Spending Assessments, annual health sector resource mapping, National Health Accounts and routine programme performance reviews.
“Through Government’s Integrated Results-Based Management framework, we are strengthening accountability by linking institutional performance, budget utilisation and the achievement of agreed service delivery targets.
Our guiding principle is that we must account not only for the resources spent, but also for the results achieved,” he added.
Zimbabwe’s HIV response requires a whole-of-government and multisectoral approach involving Government ministries, local authorities, civil society, communities, the private sector and development partners.
