By Ben Musanje
Uganda and South Sudan have strengthened their commitment to protecting communities from disease outbreaks after signing a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cross-border health security.
The agreement, signed in Juba on September 7, brings together the two countries in a coordinated effort to improve preparedness, disease surveillance and response to public health emergencies along their shared border.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) welcomed the agreement, describing it as an important step towards strengthening collective health security and protecting communities that live and trade across the Uganda-South Sudan border.
The signing ceremony was attended by H.E. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, Vice President of South Sudan in charge of the Service Cluster, highlighting the high-level political commitment attached to the initiative.
President Museveni’s trusted Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, and South Sudan’s Minister of Health, Hon. Luke Thompson Thoan Teny, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments.
Under the MoU, Uganda and South Sudan will deepen cooperation in key areas including disease surveillance, laboratory preparedness, risk communication, community engagement and coordinated response to public health emergencies.
The partnership is expected to particularly benefit communities in border areas, where frequent movement of people, livestock and goods can increase the risk of infectious diseases spreading across national boundaries.
The agreement will be implemented through a costed and time-bound joint roadmap designed to translate the commitments into practical action. Activities will include skills exchange, mentorship programmes, simulation exercises and coordinated interventions along the shared border.
The collaboration is being facilitated by Africa CDC, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Continental Incident Management Support Team.
The initiative will strengthen the ability of both countries to jointly identify and respond to threats such as viral haemorrhagic diseases (BVD), cholera and other cross-border health emergencies.
For Uganda, the agreement reinforces the country’s role in regional health security while providing an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with a key neighbour and improve protection for border communities.
The partnership also demonstrates how regional cooperation can help African countries move from responding to outbreaks after they occur to anticipating, detecting and containing health threats before they spread widely.
With a joint framework now in place, Uganda and South Sudan are expected to work more closely in building resilient health systems and ensuring that communities on both sides of the border are better prepared to confront future public health emergencies. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
