The country's private sector has been urged to take a greater role in ending period poverty, with the government warning that the country cannot continue relying on international donors to provide menstrual products for girls.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said menstrual health should be treated as a national development issue rather than a concern affecting women and girls alone.
She was speaking at the launch of the National Menstrual Health Education Package and the Zero Taboo game where she called for greater collaboration between government, businesses, families and communities.
"No man out there should think this is a woman issue. This is an economic issue," Mutsvangwa said.
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She said countries seeking sustainable economic growth had to address gender equality and empower women and girls.
Mutsvangwa warned that girls who miss school because they cannot afford menstrual products risk falling behind in their education, with wider consequences for the country's economic development.
She called on businesses to help ensure menstrual products are widely available and affordable, particularly for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"We want the product to be accessible and also available... And most of all, affordable. We can't continue to wait for sponsors from outside," she said.
The minister acknowledged the contribution of development partners and civil society organisations towards menstrual health programmes, but said the private sector should also invest in efforts to eliminate period poverty.
"If every company in this country can do something to make sure that there's no period poverty, the success of this country will come faster even before 20 years," she said.
However, Mutsvangwa said providing sanitary products alone would not solve the challenges faced by girls and women.
She said menstrual health education and supportive family environments were equally important in addressing stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation.
"Addressing these challenges then requires more than menstrual products. It demands quality education, which is what we are trying to achieve by launching this menstrual health educational package," she said.
The education package is intended to improve knowledge about menstruation while encouraging open discussions around menstrual health.
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Mutsvangwa said the government wanted to ensure that menstruation did not interfere with girls' education.
"Government remains deeply committed to ensuring menstruation never becomes a barrier to education. Every girl deserves the opportunity to attend school and to attend school regularly, not to miss every five days in a month," she said.
The minister's remarks come amid continued calls for greater investment in menstrual health as the country seeks to improve girls' participation and retention in education.
