Uganda's Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi, on Monday met the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Uganda, Mikael Cleverley, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation, with a focus on health financing and transparency.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Finance offices in Kampala, centered on enhancing collaboration between the two countries by ensuring that health sector resources are consolidated and utilized transparently in line with the Development Objectives Assistance Agreement (DOAG).

During the meeting, Musasizi expressed appreciation to the United States Government for its continued support to Uganda, particularly in the health sector. He welcomed efforts to improve visibility of all health funds received directly by the government as well as those provided by development partners.

The Finance Minister also highlighted Uganda's response to Ebola, saying the country had successfully managed the outbreak. He appealed to the U.S. mission to share Uganda's achievements internationally and support efforts to lift travel restrictions that continue to affect trade, tourism and investment.

Uganda and the United States recently signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral health cooperation valued at USD 2.3 billion. Under the agreement, the United States plans to spend up to USD 1.7 billion to help save lives and strengthen Uganda's health system.

Cleverley, who was accompanied by Public Health Advisor Jessica Healey and PEPFAR Country Coordinator Mary Borgman, reaffirmed the strong relationship between the two governments. He said U.S. health funding is intended to improve outcomes in priority areas including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, disease surveillance, and maternal and child health.

He added that the proposed Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) would provide a more specific legal and programmatic framework for government-to-government cooperation in Uganda's health sector.

Cleverley also commended Uganda for its management of Ebola, saying the country's efforts would help pave the way for the lifting of travel restrictions.