Dr. Agnes Mahomva becomes Cabinet Appointment in Zimbabwe

April 30, 2019—Washington, D.C.—The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) applauds Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s selection of Dr. Agnes Mahomva as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Dr. Mahomva, who has served as Country Director of EGPAF Zimbabwe since 2007, will assume her new post in the coming weeks.

“Dr. Mahomva has dedicated her remarkable career to public health—and in particular, to children and families. Her leadership of EGPAF Zimbabwe has been steadfast, and her legacy transformative,” said EGPAF President and CEO Charles Lyons. “Her colleagues and friends at EGPAF are certain that, in her new role at the Ministry, Dr. Mahomva will continue to have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable populations.”

During Dr. Mahomva’s tenure, EGPAF’s programs helped drive a stunning decline in new pediatric HIV infections in Zimbabwe—from 15,000 per year in 2007 to just over 4,000 per year in 2017—as well as a dramatic scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, with coverage increasing from 39% in 2010 to over 95% in 2017. Prior to joining EGPAF, Dr. Mahomva directed the rapid rollout of Zimbabwe’s national PMTCT program to over 1,500 facilities between 2001 and 2006.

For her work at EGPAF, Dr. Mahomva received the 2011 USAID – Auxilia Chimusoro Leadership Award and the 2014 NGO Director of the Year Award from the Zimbabwe Institute of Directors.