KAMPALA — Uganda and the United States have signed a five-year Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) that will guide cooperation in the health sector, including efforts to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats.
The agreement, signed in Kampala on Thursday, will run from 2026 to 2030 and operationalises a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries in December 2025, under which the US committed about $1.7 billion (approximately Shs6.42 trillion) to support Uganda’s health sector.
Finance Minister Henry Musasizi signed the agreement on behalf of the Ugandan government, while the US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Mr Mikael Cleverley, represented the US government.
The support will target both emerging and existing infectious disease threats and will also seek to strengthen Uganda’s health systems, institutions and capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr Musasizi described the agreement as “another significant milestone” in the longstanding partnership between Uganda and the United States.
He said Uganda valued the US contribution to the health sector, particularly in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as disease surveillance, outbreak response and strengthening health commodity supply chains.
“These interventions have saved lives, strengthened communities and enhanced Uganda’s capacity to respond to public-health emergencies,” Mr Musasizi said.
A key feature of the new arrangement is the US decision to channel the support directly through the Government of Uganda, rather than relying predominantly on off-budget financing.
Mr Musasizi said the shift was in line with Uganda’s objective of strengthening country ownership and ensuring external assistance is aligned with national priorities.
He said the new financing model would also improve the effectiveness and sustainability of development cooperation.
“Strengthening country ownership, aligning external assistance with national priorities, and improving the effectiveness and sustainability of development cooperation,” Mr Musasizi said, describing the objectives of the new arrangement.
However, the minister cautioned that Uganda must increase its own contribution to the health sector if the gains made over the years are to be sustained.
“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 agreement is expected to move beyond disease-specific programmes and support broader health-system strengthening, including improving the capacity of health workers, strengthening accountability and enhancing Uganda’s ability to plan, finance and deliver quality health services.
Mr Cleverley said the agreement was more than a financing mechanism, describing it as a demonstration of US goodwill and confidence in the Ugandan government and its health sector.
He said the government-to-government financing approach was intended to give Uganda greater leadership in managing public health programmes.
“The new approach seeks to empower Uganda to take greater leadership in public health through government-to-government financing,” Mr Cleverley said.
Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi welcomed the shift from predominantly off-budget assistance to government-to-government financing, under which the Ministry of Finance will direct resources to the health sector.
Dr Baryomunsi said Uganda continues to face a significant burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, making sustained investment in the health sector necessary.
He pointed to progress made over the years, including a decline in HIV prevalence from about 18.5 per cent in the late 1980s and early 1990s to 5.9 per cent, as well as an increase in life expectancy from about 43 years to 68 years.
The minister said the new partnership would help consolidate these gains while strengthening the country’s capacity to deal with emerging health threats.
The signing comes amid growing emphasis on country ownership of development programmes and greater alignment of donor support with national priorities.
Under the 2026–2030 framework, Uganda and the US will work together to strengthen public health systems while improving the country’s preparedness and response to disease outbreaks.