The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) is reviving its collapsed Partnership Fund with a new initiative, the Basket Fund, to mobilize resources for HIV/AIDS interventions amid declining foreign aid.
The original Partnership Fund collapsed around 2017 after major donors, including Irish Aid and the Government of Belgium, withdrew support, shifting funds to other sectors.
More recently, USAID, one of Uganda’s largest HIV/AIDS funders, also halted its contributions last year.
Dr. Peter Wakooba, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at UAC, explained that the Basket Fund will pool contributions from multiple stakeholders and donors into a single funding mechanism.
This central pool will then be distributed equitably to organizations implementing HIV programs, promoting sustainability in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Wakooba noted that Uganda’s HIV response has been heavily donor-dependent, with about 85 percent of funding coming from external partners.
The commission is reviewing the old Partnership Fund manual to identify potential donors and partners before launching the Basket Fund.
Uganda’s national HIV prevalence declined to 4.9 percent by late 2025, down from 5.1 percent, with an estimated 1.57 million people living with HIV in 2024.
Of these, about 1.3 million were accessing antiretroviral therapy. In the 2023/2024 financial year, Uganda mobilized 2.3 trillion shillings for HIV/AIDS interventions, with the government contributing 360 billion shillings and donors providing the remainder.
By Our Reporter
9th Mar 2026
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