Uganda and the United States have renewed commitments to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in health financing, with both countries emphasising transparency and effective utilisation of resources under existing development agreements.
The Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi, made the remarks during a meeting with the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Uganda, Mikael Cleverley, at his office in Kampala.
The discussions focused on improving coordination of health sector funding by ensuring that resources from government and development partners are consolidated, tracked and utilised transparently in line with the Development Objectives Assistance Agreement (DOAG).
Musasizi welcomed greater visibility of funds received by government and those channelled through health sector partners, saying improved coordination would strengthen accountability and maximise the impact of investments in Uganda’s health system.
He commended the United States government for its longstanding support to Uganda, particularly in the health sector, and highlighted the country’s achievements in controlling Ebola outbreaks.
“Uganda has successfully fought Ebola,” Musasizi said, urging the US representative to communicate Uganda’s response capacity and achievements globally.
He called for the lifting of travel restrictions imposed on Uganda, arguing that such measures continue to negatively affect tourism, trade and investment.
The appeal comes after Uganda and the United States signed a five-year, US$2.3 billion bilateral health cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening Uganda’s healthcare system and improving health outcomes.
Under the agreement, the United States plans to provide up to US$1.7 billion to support priority health programmes, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, disease surveillance, and maternal and child health initiatives.
Cleverley, who was accompanied by US Embassy officials including Public Health Advisor Jessica Healey and PEPFAR Country Coordinator Mary Borgman, reaffirmed the strong partnership between the two countries.
He said US health funding would focus on achieving measurable results in priority programmes while supporting Uganda’s broader health system strengthening efforts.
The US envoy also noted that the proposed Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) would provide a clearer legal and programme framework for government-to-government cooperation in the health sector.
Cleverley praised Uganda’s management of Ebola outbreaks, saying the country’s response efforts demonstrate its capacity to handle public health emergencies and could contribute to the eventual lifting of travel restrictions.
The meeting comes amid renewed efforts by Uganda and international partners to enhance collaboration in health financing, accountability and pandemic preparedness.
