Uganda wins bid to host African humanitarian agency

Uganda has been selected as the host country for the African Humanitarian Agency, a specialized technical agency of the African Union. The decision was taken during the 45th session of the Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union in Accra, Ghana, on 19 July 2024.

In the selection process, which began in May 2023, four countries (Uganda, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria) submitted their proposals to host the agency. An independent evaluation team from the African Union Commission assessed the proposals and conducted an on-site evaluation mission to each country in May 2024.

Uganda was the highest-scoring country with 85.66%, followed by Equatorial Guinea with 76.70%, Kenya with 76.13% and Nigeria with 74.50%. The Executive Board welcomed the report and congratulated Uganda on its candidacy.

The African Humanitarian Agency is responsible for coordinating and delivering humanitarian responses in coordination with affected Member States. The selection of Uganda is seen as an important milestone, given its experience in hosting refugees and its established legal and institutional frameworks for dealing with humanitarian crises.

The Government of Uganda has expressed its excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to host the agency. Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Rebecca Otengo, noted that this is the first African Union agency that Uganda has hosted since joining the organization.

The process to operationalise the agency in Uganda has already begun, with the approval of the budget to recruit senior management staff during the 2025/2026 financial year.

In a related development, Uganda also secured the election of Judge Duncan Gaswaga to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for a six-year term, with an overwhelming majority of 46 member states voting in his favour.

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