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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, Senior Health Reporter

ZIMBABWE needs to raise more than US$10 million from domestic resources to support the procurement of condoms in 2025 and 2026 following the pull out of funding for the programme by donors.

Zimbabwe has three markets for condoms; the public sector condoms which are free, the social sector, which are sold at a minimal price and the commercial condoms. The majority of people that use condoms get them from the public sector for free.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, public sector male condom distribution increased by over 6 million for 2023 as compared to 2022.

Since 2007, the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund have been the two major sources of finance for the country’s public sector condom programme.

However, the two donors recently announced that they would not be channelling resources towards the programme in 2026.

Speaking at a Health Communicators’ Forum media science café recently, Ministry of Health national coordinator for STI prevention and condom distribution, Ms Anna Machiya, said Zimbabwe needed to raise nearly US$1,8 million to fund the gap for female condoms in 2025 and another US$9,4 million for both male and female condoms in 2026.

“The Global Fund committed US$3,3 million towards condom procurement in 2024 and PEPFAR funds that have been committed to procure male and female condoms including lubricants amount to US$7,1 million.

“For 2025, we have US$1,96 million committed from Global Fund and about US$2,15 million committed from PEPFAR so we have a funding gap of US$1,8 million for female condoms. In 2026, there is no committed funding for both male and female condoms so we require US$9,4 million,” she said.

Ms Machiya said the funding gap would need to be funded from Treasury as well as the National Aids Trust Fund (Aids Levy) to ensure the country continues to roll out programmes for the prevention of STIs.

“We started some advocacy some time back around increasing domestic funding and removal of VAT and duty for commercial sector condoms to create an environment where we have more commercial sector players coming into the condom market with cheaper brands of condoms. This will relieve the burden on free public condom distribution as people may migrate to use those other condom brands that will be available on the market.

“These are issues that we are pursuing as a Ministry and as a programme,” added Ms Machiya.

Condoms, when used correctly and consistently, are safe and highly effective in preventing transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unplanned pregnancies.

According to the World Health Organisation, a modelling study that examined the impact of past and future condom use on the AIDS epidemic in 77 high-burden countries noted that increased condom use since 1990 has averted an estimated 117 million new HIV infections, close to half (47 percent) of them in sub-Saharan Africa and more than one third (37 percent) in Asia and the Pacific. Zimbabwe is among a few countries that has attained the UNAIDS 95 95 95 goals among adults ahead of the 2025 target. Ms Machiya said the disturbance of the condom supply chain would not bode well for the success of other programmes like HIV prevention.

“Success in condom programming heavily depends on its connectedness to other Sexual Reproductive Health and HIV prevention, including treatment and care, support programmes. And as such, comprehensive condom programming shall be an integral component of these programmes with male and female condoms being promoted therein to widen their access and maximise on synergies,” she said.

It was also important to engage men and community leaders as sex partners, role models and advocates in order to facilitate an enabling social environment that fosters utilisation of condoms by all sexually active persons including young people.

“Men and young people must be empowered with skills and knowledge, including negotiation for safer sex, to enable them to make informed choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health,” added Ms Machiya.