Why Zimbabwe’s Lenacapavir Launch Is a Big Win for Women and Girls

Takudzwa Karowangoro

When Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora stood before health workers and partners this week to launch Zimbabwe’s national lenacapavir programme, the moment marked more than the introduction of a new medicine. It signalled a turning point in how the country protects its most vulnerable people from HIV.

Zimbabwe is now among the first countries in the world to roll out lenacapavir as part of a national HIV prevention programme an ambitious move in a country that has spent decades confronting one of the world’s toughest epidemics.

What is lenacapavir?

Lenacapavir is a long-acting injectable medicine used for HIV prevention (PrEP). Unlike daily pills, it is administered just twice a year. Developed by Gilead Sciences and approved locally in November, the drug has shown near-100% effectiveness in preventing HIV infection in clinical trials.

For many people, especially young women and those with unstable living conditions, taking a pill every day is difficult. Missed doses can reduce protection. Lenacapavir removes that challenge entirely two injections a year provide continuous protection.

This is why health experts describe it as a game-changer.

Why Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe carries one of the highest HIV burdens in Africa, with an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV. At the peak of the epidemic in the early 2000s, adult prevalence stood at around 34%. Today, it has fallen to approximately 12%, thanks to aggressive prevention campaigns, widespread treatment access, and strong community mobilisation.

The country has also met the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets meaning most people living with HIV know their status, are on treatment, and have suppressed viral loads.

Yet new infections persist, particularly among adolescent girls, young women, and sex workers, groups that face higher biological, social, and economic risks. Lenacapavir is designed precisely for this gap.

How the rollout will work

The initial phase of the programme will reach more than 46,000 high-risk individuals at 24 sites nationwide, with funding from the U.S. government and The Global Fund.

Clinics will prioritise populations most affected by new infections, offering counselling, testing, and the injection as part of a broader prevention package. Health officials say expansion will follow as capacity grows.

“This is an important day in Zimbabwe’s national response to HIV,” Minister Mombeshora said at the launch. “It brings us closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat.”

Real impact at community level

In Epworth, one of Harare’s high-density suburbs, the excitement is already visible. Community leader Melody Dengu received the injection earlier this month and has since referred 12 others.

For women like Dengu, lenacapavir offers control and peace of mind. There is no daily reminder, no pills to hide, no fear of being judged.

Global health leaders agree. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, has described lenacapavir as “the next best thing to a vaccine.”

Why it matters for Zimbabwe’s future

Lenacapavir strengthens Zimbabwe’s prevention arsenal at a time when the country is closer than ever to controlling HIV—but not close enough to relax. By protecting those most at risk, it reduces future treatment costs, keeps families intact, and protects the next generation.

More importantly, it represents equity in healthcare: a cutting-edge medical breakthrough reaching communities that need it most, not last.

If widely adopted and sustained, lenacapavir could help Zimbabwe shift from managing HIV to ending new infections altogether a goal that once felt impossible, but now feels within reach.