KAMPALA — The governments of Uganda and the United States have signed a Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) establishing a framework for health-sector cooperation between the two countries from 2026 to 2030.
The agreement was signed by Finance Minister Henry Musasizi on behalf of Uganda and U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mikael Cleverley on behalf of the United States Government.
It operationalises a Memorandum of Understanding signed on December 10, 2025, under which the U.S. committed approximately $1.7 billion (about Shs6.42 trillion) to support Uganda’s efforts to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and existing infectious disease threats.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Musasizi described the agreement as “another significant milestone” in the longstanding partnership between Uganda and the United States.
He said Uganda valued U.S. support to the health sector, particularly in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, disease outbreak management, public-health surveillance and strengthening health commodity supply chains.
“These interventions have saved lives, strengthened communities and enhanced Uganda’s capacity to respond to public-health emergencies,” Musasizi said.
A major shift under the new arrangement is the U.S. Government’s intention to channel the support directly through the Government of Uganda.
Musasizi welcomed the approach, saying it aligns with Uganda’s goal of strengthening country ownership, linking external assistance to national priorities and improving the effectiveness and sustainability of development cooperation.
He, however, cautioned that external assistance alone cannot guarantee sustainable health outcomes and called for increased domestic financing of the sector.
“The Government of Uganda acknowledges that sustainable health outcomes require increased domestic financing,” he said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to progressively increase funding for the agreed interventions over the five-year period.
The partnership is also expected to move beyond disease-specific programmes and strengthen Uganda’s wider health system.
The areas of cooperation will include strengthening national institutions and systems, improving health workforce capacity, reinforcing accountability and enhancing Uganda’s ability to plan, finance and deliver quality health services.
Cleverley said the agreement represented more than a mechanism for cooperation, describing it as a demonstration of U.S. goodwill and confidence in Uganda’s leadership and health sector.
He said the government-to-government financing model would give Uganda greater responsibility for leading its public-health agenda.
Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi welcomed the shift from predominantly off-budget assistance towards government-to-government financing, with the Ministry of Finance expected to direct resources to the health sector.
Baryomunsi said Uganda continued to face a substantial burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, making continued investment in the health system necessary.
He pointed to progress made over the years, including a decline in HIV prevalence from 18.5 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s to 5.9 percent, as well as an increase in life expectancy from about 43 years to 68 years.