SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Health and Finance | Harare, Zimbabwe | 29 June – 3 July 2026

As countries across Southern Africa grapple with shrinking donor funding and increasing health demands, leaders from across the region came together in Harare to chart a more sustainable path for the future of healthcare. The SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Health and Finance brought together Ministers of Health and Finance, senior government officials, development partners, regional institutions, civil society organisations, and youth representatives, including AfriYAN Zambia participated to strengthen regional collaboration on sustainable health financing and equitable access to essential medicines.

Delegates agreed that strengthening domestic resource mobilization, improving efficiency in health expenditure, and adopting innovative financing mechanisms are essential to building resilient health systems. A key highlight was renewed support for the SADC Pooled Procurement Services (SPPS), which harnesses the region's collective purchasing power to procure quality-assured medicines more affordably, reducing costs, minimizing stockouts, and strengthening supply chains across Member States.

The meeting also spotlighted emerging HIV prevention innovations, including lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable with the potential to significantly reduce new infections. Delegates stressed that equitable access to such innovations will depend on coordinated regional procurement, harmonized regulation, sustainable financing, and expanded local pharmaceutical manufacturing reducing dependence on imports while creating regional jobs and long-term health resilience.

Young leaders contributed perspectives on equitable access to health services and the importance of ensuring financing decisions respond to the realities and priorities of adolescents and young people.

Youth participation remained a central feature of the discussions throughout. As the region moves from commitments to implementation, the meeting marked an important step toward ensuring that every person in Southern Africa has access to quality healthcare and life-saving medicines with young people's voices, including TYP360's, part of shaping how that future is financed and delivered.