The governments of the United States and Uganda have held the inaugural meeting of the Joint Health Steering Committee (JHSC), marking a significant step in the implementation of their five-year, $2.3 billion(shs8.8 trillion) Health Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2025.
The Committee is co-chaired by U.S. Ambassador William W. Popp and Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero. It will serve as the primary governance structure overseeing the joint health investment, which includes more than $1.7 billion in U.S. support and $577 million contributed by the Government of Uganda.
The partnership focuses on addressing major infectious diseases, including malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and polio, while also strengthening maternal and child health services, improving national health systems, enhancing global health security, and building institutional and workforce capacity to advance Uganda’s long-term self-reliance agenda.
The JHSC will oversee implementation of the MOU Implementation Plan once finalized. The plan will guide the deployment of $410 million in U.S. health assistance in the first year alongside Uganda’s co-investment, while advancing a government-to-government delivery model aimed at improving efficiency, sustainability, and national ownership of health programmes.
Both governments said the Committee will provide strategic oversight, ensure accountability, and align implementation with Uganda’s national health priorities as well as applicable U.S. and Ugandan legal frameworks. It will also strengthen coordination among government institutions and development partners, while improving transparency, performance monitoring, and financial oversight across the health sector.
“The Joint Health Steering Committee underscores the strategic importance of this partnership,” said U.S. Ambassador William W. Popp. “It advances the Trump Administration’s America First Global Health Strategy by addressing disease threats at their source, strengthening bilateral cooperation, promoting American innovation, and building sustainable local health systems that can graduate to self-sufficiency.”
Minister of Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero emphasized Uganda’s commitment to the partnership, stating: “This partnership represents Uganda’s determination to build a sustainable, resilient health system that serves all Ugandans. Through the Joint Health Steering Committee, we will ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with our National Development Plan IV and Vision 2040.”
The Committee will prioritize ensuring that resources reach frontline health workers and essential medical commodities, strengthening health information systems and disease surveillance, and supporting the transition from donor-led technical assistance to government-led implementation structures. It will also enhance preparedness and response to emerging and existing infectious disease threats.
The partnership further emphasizes a performance-based approach, linking continued support to measurable health outcomes and agreed benchmarks. Uganda’s co-investment of more than $577 million over five years reflects growing domestic investment and shared responsibility in strengthening the national health system.
Both governments noted that success will be assessed not only through reductions in disease burden but also through long-term improvements in health system resilience, institutional capacity, and population well-being.
Through the Joint Health Steering Committee, the United States and Uganda reaffirmed their commitment to transparent governance, coordinated implementation, and sustainable impact in advancing public health outcomes in both countries.
