The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi Ariganyira, has met the United States Chargé d’Affaires to Uganda, Mikael Cleverley, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on health financing and improving transparency in the management of donor resources.
The meeting, held on Monday at the minister’s office in Kampala, focused on enhancing cooperation between Uganda and the United States by ensuring that health sector resources are consolidated and utilised transparently in line with the Development Objectives Assistance Agreement (DOAG).
Minister Musasizi commended the US government for its longstanding support to Uganda, particularly in the health sector, saying the government welcomes greater visibility of all funds channelled directly to government and through development partners.
He also highlighted Uganda’s success in containing Ebola outbreaks and urged the US government to communicate the country’s achievements to the international community.
The minister appealed for the lifting of all travel restrictions imposed on Uganda, saying they continue to affect trade, tourism and investment.
Uganda and the United States recently signed a five-year bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth USD 2.3 billion, outlining a comprehensive framework to strengthen Uganda’s health system and save lives. Under the agreement, the United States plans to provide up to USD 1.7 billion in health sector support.
Cleverley, who was accompanied by Public Health Advisor Jessica Healey and PEPFAR Country Coordinator Mary Borgman, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Uganda’s priority health programmes, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, disease surveillance, and maternal and child health.
He said the proposed Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) would provide a stronger legal and programmatic framework for government-to-government cooperation in the health sector.
The US envoy also commended Uganda for its effective management of Ebola, expressing confidence that the country’s efforts would help pave the way for the lifting of international travel restrictions.
