The governments of the United States and Uganda have held the inaugural meeting of the new Joint Health Steering Committee (JHSC), marking a key milestone in implementing their five-year, $2.3 billion 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 principal governance mechanism overseeing the planned joint health investment, which includes more than $1.7 billion from the United States and $577 million from Uganda.
The partnership is designed to combat infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and polio, while also strengthening maternal and child health services, improving health systems, enhancing global health security, and building institutional and workforce capacity to support Uganda’s long-term self-reliance.
The JHSC will oversee implementation of the MOU Implementation Plan once finalized. The plan will outline the rollout of $410 million in U.S. health assistance in the first year alongside Uganda’s co-investment, while also accelerating a government-to-government approach aimed at improving sustainability, efficiency, and national ownership of health programs.
Both governments said the Committee will provide strategic oversight, ensure accountability, and align programs with Uganda’s national health priorities as well as applicable U.S. and Ugandan laws.
It will also strengthen coordination across government institutions and development partners, while enhancing transparency, performance monitoring, and financial oversight in the health sector.
“The Joint Health Steering Committee underscores the strategic importance of this partnership,” said U.S. Ambassador 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 Aceng 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 focus on ensuring that funding reaches frontline healthcare workers and essential medical commodities, strengthening health data and surveillance systems, and supporting the transition of technical assistance from donor-led activities to government-led functions. It will also enhance preparedness and response to emerging infectious disease threats.
In addition, the partnership will emphasize a performance-based approach, linking continued support to agreed health outcomes and benchmarks. Uganda’s co-investment of more than $577 million over the next five years reflects increased national ownership and shared responsibility for health sector progress.
Both governments noted that success will be measured not only by reductions in disease burden but also by long-term improvements in health systems, institutional capacity, and community well-being.
Through the Joint Health Steering Committee, the United States and Uganda reaffirm their commitment to transparent governance, strategic coordination, and sustainable impact in advancing public health outcomes for both nations.
