Zimbabwe has officially launched its National One Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030, a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening national health security by integrating human, animal, plant, and environmental health systems. The plan, unveiled in Harare by Vice President Kembo Mohadi on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, represents a landmark step in aligning Zimbabwe with global and regional One Health commitments, including the UN Quadripartite Joint Plan of Action, Africa Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the country’s Vision 2030 under National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2). The strategy was developed with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The initiative emphasizes a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address increasingly complex health threats arising from climate change, population growth, and increased human-animal-environment interactions. Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, highlighted that animal and plant health are essential for public health, food security, and ecosystem sustainability, noting that these aspects have historically been underrepresented in One Health efforts. He pointed to a 2024 University of Zimbabwe assessment showing that while progress has been made, broader sectoral integration remains limited, underscoring the need for coordinated collaboration across ministries, agencies, and stakeholders.
Vice President Mohadi described the strategy as transformative, positioning health at the center of sustainable development and the country’s journey toward upper middle-income status by 2030. He emphasized that the plan provides a science-driven governance framework informed by lessons from Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 response, ensuring efficient resource use through collaboration. Mohadi urged all government institutions and partners to move beyond siloed approaches and adopt unified, multi-sectoral actions to tackle health threats effectively.
FAO and WHO played a central role in supporting the strategy’s development and launch. FAO’s Patrice Talla highlighted Zimbabwe’s commitment to integrated action to protect human, animal, plant, and environmental health, praising national leadership for guiding the plan to Cabinet approval. FAO’s support includes strengthening surveillance and laboratory systems, improving biosafety and biosecurity, building a skilled One Health workforce, and enhancing data systems for evidence-based decision-making. These efforts align with regional initiatives, such as the Southern Africa Programme on One Health, and FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022–2031.
The National One Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030 prioritizes key areas including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the health impacts of climate change. Its strategic pillars cover coordination and governance, prevention and control, financing, research and development, and advocacy, communication, and capacity building. By uniting government, academia, the private sector, civil society, and development partners under a single framework, the plan aims to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats more effectively. With the launch of this strategy, Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen national and regional health security, reduce sectoral fragmentation, and ensure that health interventions are coordinated, evidence-based, and sustainable.
