Uganda Moves Toward First Blended-Finance Health Pilot

Uganda has taken a significant step toward establishing its first performance-linked, fiscally secure health financing pilot, with government ministries, health agencies, financial institutions, and international partners convening for a five-day scoping workshop on innovative healthcare financing at Four Points by Sheraton in Kampala.

The workshop, running from December 1–5, 2025, is organised by the Uganda Embassy in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI), and the Global Health Catalyst. It is held under the theme “Health as a Critical Infrastructure: Building Fiscal Resilient & Data-Verified Investment Pathways for Uganda.”

Ambassador Elly Kamahungye, Head of the International Political Cooperation Department at MoFA, officially opened the workshop on behalf of the Permanent Secretary.

“This workshop represents a natural and crucial next step—transitioning from broad policy endorsement to detailed technical and fiscal planning,” Amb. Kamahungye said.

“The Ministry and our Embassy in Washington are fully committed to initiatives that strengthen cross-border collaboration, attract investment, and engage Uganda’s highly skilled and influential global diaspora.”

He highlighted the growing collaboration between Ugandan institutions and global partners, noting that engagements at Harvard University, MIT, and Johns Hopkins University have catalysed the development of what is evolving into the Global Cancer Financing Platform.

“These platforms have shown what is possible when scientific excellence, innovative fiscal planning, and diplomacy converge,” he added.

According to Amb. Kamahungye, both the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, have expressed strong interest in performance-linked, risk-shared financing models backed by credible financial instruments. Dr Aceng affirmed this direction in her Declaration of Support issued in September 2025.

Senior officials from key government agencies—including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Bank of Uganda, Uganda Investment Authority, Uganda Bankers Association, and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda—are participating in the workshop.

The focus is to co-create Uganda’s first proof-based, fiscally secure, blended-finance pilot, leveraging diaspora remittances and guarantee-backed investment instruments to strengthen national health services, with cancer care as the initial priority.

Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute, Dr Jackson Orem, commended the convening partners for championing the initiative.

“This workshop is a foundational step toward developing a pioneering health financing mechanism that leverages diaspora remittances and blended-finance guarantees to strengthen Uganda’s health system,” Dr Orem said.

“These efforts mark significant progress in building sustainable, fiscally secure pathways for priority health services—starting with a country-led pilot that can demonstrate proof of concept and scalability.”

Uganda was recently nominated as the pilot country for the innovative health financing initiative during a side event at the United Nations General Assembly. Officials say the Kampala workshop will now translate that endorsement into a concrete technical roadmap.

With Uganda’s health financing gaps persisting—especially in oncology and high-cost, specialised care—the proposed model aims to mobilise new revenue streams and reduce fiscal pressures while expanding access to lifesaving treatment.

The outcome of the workshop is expected to guide the design of Uganda’s inaugural blended-finance health pilot, positioning the country as a leader in innovative, diaspora-enabled health financing on the African continent.