Malawi yesterday marked World Aids Day and the International Aids Candlelight Memorial with decentralised commemorations designed to reach men in settings where HIV risk remains high.
The events were held in four locations, namely Lilongwe, Blantyre, Salima and Nkhata Bay to allow for tailor-made HIV messages to different groups of men.
In Blantyre, activities targeted men in the formal workplace while in Lilongwe, the focus was informal sector workers such as vendors. In Salima, the commemorations centred on uniformed forces and kabaza operators while in Nkhata Bay the messaging focused on fishers.
A similar event will take place on December 16 in Mangochi whose target will be migrant men who frequently travel to South Africa.
light candles. | Wisdom Chirombo
In a statement, National Aids Commission (NAC) chief executive officer Dr Beatrice Matanje said this year’s plan ensures that HIV prevention messages avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and instead addresses the realities of each group.
“We deliberately decentralised the commemorations so that each district could speak directly to the men found in those settings. The risk profiles are different, so the messaging must be different as well,” she said.
Matanje highlighted Malawi’s continued progress in the HIV response, including achieving the global 95-95-95 treatment targets ahead of the December 2025 deadline, saying Malawi remains among the first six countries in the Southern African Development Community region to reach the benchmark.
“We are proud to have achieved the 95-95-95 targets a year earlier than expected, and to stand among the first six countries in the region to do so,” she said.
The 95-95-95 targets are a set of ambitious goals set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids to accelerate progress towards ending the Aids epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
The targets are that 95 percent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 95 percent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of all people receiving ART will achieve viral suppression.
The NAC head, however, warned that children and men still lag behind, with children registering below 80 percent success on all three targets and men lagging behind on testing. Current figures show Malawi is at 94 percent in identifying HIV-positive men who do not yet know their status.
“Despite the overall progress, children and men are still falling behind,” she said. “Men in particular remain at 94 percent on the first 95, which means too many are living with HIV without knowing their status.”
Speaking during its commemorations In Blantyre, the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) director of health and social services, Gift Kawalazira said HIV and Aids prevalence in Blantyre has dropped from 18 percent in 2018 to 14 percent in 2025.
He said a study conducted by the DHO also found that some men were not accessing HIV-testing services and many of them shun hospitals, as such, they are putting up strategies that will help reach men in places they are often present.
Malawi Business Coalition chairperson for health Gloria Zimba called on all private sector organisations to support the government in the fight against the spread of HIV and Aids.
The commemorations were held under the theme: ‘We remember, we lead, we rise to change the responses’.
—Additional reporting: Wisdom Chirombo
