New USAID boss outlines priorities amid nervous relations with Uganda

You are not entirely new on the continent; you’re only new in this position...
I am really excited about having a chance to speak to you about my time here in Uganda.

USAID began its assistance to Uganda immediately after its independence in 1962, recognising the country’s potential as a “bread basket” of Africa, with its rich natural resources, and significant rural population. 

Priorities have evolved over the past five decades, and we remain committed to improving Ugandans’ livelihoods. 

With three integrated development objectives—increasing resilience, addressing demographic drivers, and strengthening systems, USAID works in partnership with the people of Uganda to address the fundamental challenges constraining the country’s development.

You have been here for more than 60 years, and down the road, what constitutes the priorities today for the USAID mission?
As I take over the mission here in Uganda, our priorities for the US government at large are to partner with the Ugandan people to support a prosperous, healthy and secure Uganda. Those are the overall driving goals for us and when it comes to USAID, the priorities that I’ll be pursuing is deepening our engagement here in Uganda.

I think we can all agree that the world has changed, when you look at globalisation and you look at where Uganda is, the trajectory and the aspirations of the Ugandan people – we’re looking at how we can adjust our approaches as USAID as the US government – we can adjust our tools to ensure that we are being responsive.

Our strategy also centres around a 17-year-old girl because that is the average age in Uganda. Uganda is a very young country. We really want to support Uganda in making sure that the 17-year-old girl has all that she needs to be successful in her life, but also to be a contributing member of society.

The second thing I would say when it comes to deepening our engagement is about the commitment that the US government has made is localisation. Localisation is one of the top priorities of the [US president Joe] Biden administration and what that means realistically is that 50 percent of our partners are going to be local.

I am happy to report that here in Uganda we have exceeded our target. Out of the 74 we have, 47 of them are local partners. That means 47 local Ugandan partners are leading the development of Uganda; it’s not USAID, it’s not the US government. We want to continue doing that and I hope in the coming weeks and months and years as I get out in the field and meet people, they can be confident that we are here to help.

What is the impact of the new and emerging issues such as climate change and disease outbreaks – which are in most cases unpredictable – to the partnership between USAID and Uganda? 
I think that the changes are enormous, the challenges continue but what we know for fact is that by working together, we are able to identify solutions and at least begin to chip away these challenges. 

When you look at climate change, for example, we have been able to work with the different scientists at the National Agricultural Research Organisation and to this day we have been able to develop 36 crop varieties that are resistant to climate change and pests and these crops are being used by farmers all over Uganda. 

When you look at the sorghum, the beans, the maize people are eating, that’s all thanks to the American people who have made these resources available in Uganda.

Recently, we heard that there will be funding cuts targeting malaria and HIV. How true is this?
The United States government remains committed to the bilateral relationship and to the Ugandan people and we want to mention that the development assistance we provide goes to the most vulnerable without discrimination. 

And what that means is that, in the commitment, we will continue to support the 1.3 million individuals who are receiving antiretroviral medication as well as 94 percent HIV/Aids patient who are receiving various services, thanks to PEPFAR. 

Similarly with malaria, we will continue to support the 3.4 million individuals that are receiving various supports like indoor residual spraying, or receiving mosquito nets or training. We are committed to ensure that we are preventing and supporting individual from getting malaria. 

As we look to the future, it’s important to ensure that we continue to work with government and beneficiaries to find ways we can mobilise additional resources. Because, despite the increases we have made in the respective areas, it’s never going to be enough. That is why we want to deepen our engagement with the private sector, civil society organisations, and other development partners so that we can mobilise enough resources – whether they are external or internal – so that we can have enough.

On the USAID website are different articles, including one that gives a warning to Uganda to reconsider its stance on the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023. What impact does it have on the relationship between the two states?
As the US government, we are very much committed to the bilateral relationship as something that we have been doing for the last 60 plus years. However, the ongoing challenges on the diminishing political and civic space, and the increase on violations on human rights and abuses which will include the Anti-Homosexual Act make it extremely difficult to partner. 

And I know even the recent ruling where a few provisions were removed from the Act were not sufficient because we know that the LGBTQI community continues to face evictions and violence and even to this day, as the Act says, they can face a death penalty. What we are saying is that our assistance should benefit everyone.