Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to finance family planning services from domestic resources, with Parliament backing proposals to channel health-related revenue streams towards reproductive health as declining global aid raises concerns over the long-term sustainability of contraceptive supplies.

Speaking during engagements on family planning financing, Acting Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance, Andrew Nkani, said Parliament would support measures aimed at strengthening domestic funding for the sector.

"Parliament support is aimed at ensuring the FP sector benefits from health-related revenue streams while promoting equitable access to services across the country," Nkani said.

His remarks come at a time when many developing countries, including Zimbabwe, are under pressure to increase domestic financing for health programmes as international donor funding becomes increasingly uncertain.

For decades, Zimbabwe's family planning programme has been regarded as one of Africa's success stories, with the country recording a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of about 69%, among the highest on the continent. UNFPA estimates that its support in 2025 helped avert approximately 815,000 unintended pregnancies and 2,250 maternal deaths, underscoring the importance of sustained investment in reproductive health services.

Despite the progress, financing remains a critical challenge.

While government has progressively increased its contribution towards contraceptive procurement, development partners continue to finance a significant share of commodities and technical support.

According to UNFPA, Zimbabwe has invested more than US$6.3 million from domestic resources to procure contraceptives since 2023 under the UNFPA Supplies Partnership Compact. Building on that, the government pledged an additional US$2.25 million annually for contraceptive procurement in 2026 and 2027 as it seeks to reduce dependence on external donors.

Health experts say the shift towards domestic financing is no longer optional.

Under the UNFPA Supplies Partnership's Match Fund arrangement, every dollar invested by government is matched with two dollars' worth of reproductive health commodities, creating an incentive for countries to increase their own spending while gradually transitioning towards self-reliance.

Announcing Zimbabwe's latest commitment, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said:

"The Government of Zimbabwe remains steadfast in its commitment to the health and well-being of our citizens. Our continued investment is a testament of our commitment under the 2023 Compact with UNFPA. Having already procured US$6.3 million worth of contraceptives from domestic resources since 2022, this new pledge ensures that we continue to safeguard the reproductive health of our communities."

The debate now centres on what Nkani described as "health-related revenue streams."

Although no specific mechanism has yet been announced, analysts point to Zimbabwe's National AIDS Trust Fund; financed through the AIDS Levy, as a possible example of how dedicated domestic financing can sustain priority health programmes.

The levy generated around US$60 million in 2025, although health officials say it still falls short of meeting HIV financing needs, highlighting both the potential and limitations of earmarked taxes.

Health economists argue that a sustainable domestic financing model for family planning could shield Zimbabwe from fluctuations in donor support while ensuring uninterrupted supplies of contraceptives, particularly for women in rural and low-income communities.

The challenge, however, will be identifying reliable revenue sources without placing additional pressure on an already constrained economy.