By Diana N. Kintu
Kampala, Uganda
A deal is only as good as what it changes on the ground, and Uganda’s Finance Minister wanted that point understood before the ink even dried.
The Government of Uganda and the Government of the United States of America signed the Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG), a new framework governing how the two countries will implement shared commitments in Uganda’s health sector over the next five years.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, was direct about how the Agreement should ultimately be judged.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the measure of this Agreement will not be the signatures we append today, but the improvements in the Health Sector. I therefore call upon the Ministry of Health, Departments and Agencies, implementing partners and other stakeholders to ensure full commitment to the Agreement we are signing today,” Musasizi said.
The Agreement puts action to a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 10th December 2025, and builds on decades of US support that Musasizi said has been vital to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the management of disease outbreaks, public health surveillance, and the strengthening of health commodity supply chains, interventions he said have saved lives, strengthened communities and enhanced Uganda’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
This agreement puts action to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 10th December 2025 where the United States Government committed to provide support amounting to approximately USD 1.7 billion (about Shs 6.42 trillion) for prevention, detection and response to both emerging and existing infectious disease threats.
Under the new framework, the United States Government intends to provide support amounting to approximately USD 1.7 billion over five years, from 2026 to 2030, aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to both emerging and existing infectious disease threats.
Musasizi said Uganda is matching that commitment with one of its own.
“The Government of Uganda also acknowledges that sustainable health outcomes require increased domestic financing. We therefore reaffirm our commitment to progressively increase Government funding for the agreed interventions over the five years,” he said.
He welcomed a shift in how US support will be delivered going forward, with government intending to progressively increase the share of support channelled directly through Uganda’s own systems as Budget Support, an approach Musasizi said strengthens country ownership, aligns external assistance with national priorities, and improves the effectiveness and sustainability of development cooperation.
To back up his opening point about results over paperwork, Musasizi pointed to a specific accountability mechanism built into the Agreement: a Joint Health Steering Committee (JHSC), which will provide joint oversight, including the review and selection of new activities, scopes of work and implementing partners.
Mr. Mikael Cleverley, Chargé d’Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, attended the ceremony alongside senior government officials and representatives from US government agencies.
Closing his remarks, Musasizi thanked the United States for its continued support and said Uganda looks forward to the effective implementation of the Agreement in line with the commitments both sides have made.
Five years from now, the number that will matter most won’t be the $1.7 billion pledged today; it will be whatever the Ministry of Health can show for it.