The Nnabagereka of the Buganda Kingdom, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, has called on the Programme for Accessible Health Communication and Education (PACE) to sustain efforts aimed at expanding access to reproductive health services, particularly among vulnerable communities.
The Queen made the remarks while presiding over the 7th Annual General Meeting of PACE Uganda in Kampala on Tuesday, where she emphasised the need to protect the dignity and health rights of vulnerable populations.
‘As we move forward, PACE Uganda must remain focused and mission-driven to meet the challenges ahead, including resistance to reproductive health information and services and the difficulty of reaching vulnerable communities,’ the Nnabagereka said.
She urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and innovation in order to improve access to quality reproductive healthcare across the country.
‘Let us reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing PACE Uganda’s mission – supporting communities, protecting rights, and expanding access to quality reproductive health for all,’ the Nnabagereka, who is also PACE’s patron, said.
‘With gratitude for our partners, confidence in our teams, and renewed resolve to overcome challenges, I invite everyone here to continue collaborating, innovating, and leading with compassion so that together we can build a healthier, more equitable future for Uganda,’ she added.
Speaking at the same event, PACE Uganda Board Chairman Fred Wabwire Mangen said the organisation remains focused on strengthening governance, accountability, and sustainability amid a changing global funding environment.
‘We are a multidisciplinary board, and that breadth is a deliberate strength which sharpens our risk management, diversifies our perspective, and holds us to high standards of transparency and ethics,’ Prof Wabwire said.
He noted that the organisation is adapting to shifts in global donor priorities by focusing on data-driven decision-making, cost efficiency, and funding diversification.
‘The global funding landscape is shifting, with increased emphasis on results, efficiency, and sustainability. These shifts do not alarm us but rather affirm our strategic direction,’ he said.
Prof Wabwire said the board intends to prioritise stronger partnerships, community-based systems, and programmes capable of delivering long-term impact beyond donor cycles.
‘PACE is here for the long term. And the Board’s job is to make sure the organisation is structurally and strategically equipped to fulfil that commitment,’ he added.
PACE Uganda works to promote universal health coverage through community-centred healthcare programmes aimed at improving reproductive health, family planning, maternal care, and adolescent health services.
The Executive Director of PACE Uganda, Dr Lillian Sekabembe, said recent donor funding cuts, particularly from the United States Agency for International Development, had negatively affected reproductive health programmes targeting teenage pregnancies in northern and eastern Uganda.
Dr Sekabembe said the organisation has since been forced to diversify its funding sources and redesign programmes to ensure sustainability.
‘By expanding our donor base, being more efficient and effective in the delivery of services, and reducing dependence on donor projects, we have been intentional about improving our efficiency,’ she said.
Early last year, the United States administration implemented a broad freeze on foreign assistance, leading to significant reductions in USAID funding to Uganda.
The cuts disrupted several health and humanitarian programmes, including HIV/AIDS services, and forced the closure of some specialised clinics across the country.
Health organisations have since warned that continued donor funding reductions could undermine gains made in reproductive health, HIV prevention, and adolescent health services unless alternative financing mechanisms are developed.