Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in Geneva, Switzerland
Zimbabwe anticipated the decline in international donor support for health and acted early to safeguard its healthcare system through innovative domestic financing strategies, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said.
Speaking at a high-level side event on the future of domestic financing for health on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, Prof Ncube said the Government had taken deliberate steps to close the funding gap left by waning external aid, particularly from key partners such as the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
“I am fully convinced about dedicated health sector financing in Zimbabwe, and we are making progress,” he said.
“Twenty years ago, we introduced a 3 percent AIDS levy on income and corporate tax to finance the HIV response. We’re continuing with that because it’s the face of our commitment.”
He revealed that two years ago, after receiving early warnings about cuts in PEPFAR funding, the Government swiftly introduced additional domestic measures to cushion the health sector. These included targeted taxes on alcohol and tobacco products, and more recently, a sugar tax aimed at strengthening cancer response capacity.
Prof Ncube said revenue from the sugar tax was being directed toward procuring cancer diagnostic equipment and essential medicines.
“I promised that the day we buy the first cancer machine from this levy, I’ll invite all beverage companies to launch it with me—so they see exactly where the money is going,” he said.
He emphasised that the government’s strategy focused not only on raising funds but also on building health infrastructure and leveraging strategic partnerships to reinforce long-term sustainability.
Prof Ncube’s remarks come at a time when several African countries are grappling with reduced donor support and are under pressure to develop resilient, self-financing health systems.