Uganda has signed a Host Country Agreement with the African Union (AU) to host the continental body’s humanitarian agency, in a move expected to strengthen Africa’s capacity to coordinate humanitarian assistance during emergencies. The agreement was signed at State House, Entebbe, on Monday, November 9.
The agreement provides the legal and institutional framework for setting up and operating the agency. Uganda secured the hosting rights after scoring 85 percent in the AU selection process, Attorney General Sam Mayanja said during the signing ceremony. He credited President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with spearheading the country’s efforts to secure the bid.
Mayanja said the establishment process was expected to begin in December 2026 and take approximately three years before the agency becomes fully operational. He said the agreement set out the Government’s obligations towards establishing and operating the headquarters, adding that Uganda was committed to fulfilling them.
Museveni welcomed the decision to locate the agency’s headquarters in Uganda, saying it would play a critical role in coordinating humanitarian assistance during emergencies, including the distribution of food and other essential supplies to people affected by disasters and other crises. He said the agency would strengthen Africa’s capacity to respond to humanitarian challenges and improve the coordination of assistance to vulnerable communities across the continent.
Relief, disaster preparedness and refugees minister Sam Engola described the signing as a significant milestone in strengthening humanitarian cooperation among African countries. He commended the AU for selecting Uganda, saying the decision recognised the country’s longstanding contribution to humanitarian assistance, particularly its open-door refugee policy and continued support for displaced people from different parts of the world. Engola said Uganda’s experience in refugee management and humanitarian response would provide a strong foundation for the agency’s operations.
African Union commissioner for health, humanitarian affairs and social development Amma Twum-Amoah thanked Museveni and the government and people of Uganda for accepting to host the agency. She described the signing of the agreement as more than a formal diplomatic undertaking, saying it represented an important step towards translating Africa’s political commitment into institutional reality and strengthening the continent’s ownership of humanitarian responses.
Twum-Amoah said Uganda was a fitting home for the agency because of its longstanding solidarity with people affected by displacement and forced migration. She highlighted the significance of Kampala, whose name is associated with the 2009 Kampala Convention, Africa’s landmark legal instrument for the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons. She said Kampala had the potential to emerge as a continental hub for humanitarian action, from which African solutions could be coordinated, institutional capacity strengthened, and solidarity mobilised.
The commissioner said expectations for the agency were high amid growing humanitarian challenges across the continent, including armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate-related disasters, food insecurity and disease outbreaks, which continue to put millions of people at risk. She emphasised the need for Africa to strengthen its capacity to anticipate and respond to emergencies, support member states and protect vulnerable populations.
She said the agency should be more than an institution on paper, but instead serve as an instrument of African solidarity, a platform for coordinated action and a vehicle for humanitarian diplomacy.
Twum-Amoah revealed that the African Union Commission had already mobilised the essential initial staff required to begin operationalising the agency. She said the commission was ready to work closely with the Government of Uganda to facilitate the deployment of the initial team to Kampala, preferably by the end of November or, at the latest, by mid-December 2026.
