Building Trust in Health Data: Uganda’s Journey Towards Strong Health Data Governance

Why Health Data Governance Matters in Uganda

A Nationally Driven, Multi-Stakeholder Approach

As countries across Africa accelerate digital transformation in health, the question is no longer whether health data will be generated and shared, but how it will be governed. In Uganda, Health Data Governance (HDG) has emerged as a critical enabler for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), digital health innovation, and public trust in health systems.

Through the Health Data Governance project, Uganda has taken deliberate steps to strengthen the legal, institutional, and technical foundations required to ensure that health data is used ethically, securely, and responsibly.

Why Health Data Governance Matters in Uganda

Uganda’s health sector generates vast amounts of data across routine health information systems, disease surveillance platforms, digital health applications, and research initiatives. While the country has made significant progress-supported by the Digital Health Strategy and the Data Protection and Privacy Act-challenges persist. These include fragmented digital systems, unclear sector-specific enforcement mechanisms, and limited interoperability between platforms.

Without strong governance, these gaps risk undermining data quality, public trust, and the potential of data-driven decision-making.

A Nationally Driven, Multi-Stakeholder Approach

The Uganda Health Data Governance initiative is part of a Transform Health–led continental effort to advance rights-based, people-centered governance of health data across Africa. Under this broader Transform Health framework, and with support from the Pan African Health Informatics Association (HELINA), the Uganda Health Informatics Association (UgHIA) has been implementing country-level activities to strengthen HDG in Uganda.

The project adopts an inclusive, nationally driven approach that brings together the Ministry of Health, the National Information Technology Authority–Uganda (NITA-U), the Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO), civil society, academia, and digital health practitioners. This collaborative process culminated in the validation of the Uganda National Health Data Governance Implementation Roadmap (2026-2028) during a national stakeholder workshop held in Kampala in October 2025.

The roadmap is anchored around five strategic pillars:

Modernizing legal and regulatory frameworks for health data and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI);
Strengthening institutional coordination through a national HDG governance structure;
Advancing data standardization and interoperability across health systems;
Building capacity and public awareness on data rights and responsibilities;
Ensuring sustainable financing and partnerships for long-term implementation.

Key Lessons from the HDG Project Experience

Several important lessons emerged from Uganda’s HDG project implementation journey:

Strong national policies are necessary but insufficient without sector-specific implementation mechanisms;
Interoperability must be treated as both a technical and legal requirement;
Public trust is central to effective HDG and must be actively cultivated through transparency and communication;
Health Data Governance must evolve alongside innovation, particularly with the growing use of AI in healthcare.

Looking Ahead

Uganda’s HDG roadmap is not merely a compliance instrument; it is a strategic tool to enable ethical innovation, regional data collaboration, and resilient health systems. As implementation begins in 2026, Uganda is positioning itself as a regional leader in HDG, aligned with East African Community and continental digital health priorities.

The HDG project-implemented under the leadership of Transform Health and grounded in strong national ownership-demonstrates that with political commitment, inclusive dialogue, and sustained investment, countries can build health data systems that truly serve people, protecting their rights while unlocking the value of data for better health outcomes.