KAMPALA — Uganda has strengthened its position as a regional leader in infectious disease surveillance after the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) was designated the East African Community (EAC) Regional Centre of Excellence in Virology.
The centre, launched in Entebbe on Wednesday, July 22, will serve as a regional hub for advanced virology research, specialised laboratory training, disease surveillance, diagnostics and knowledge sharing.
It will support EAC Partner States in responding to public health threats, including Ebola, Marburg and other emerging and re-emerging viral diseases.
The launch was presided over by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who represented President Yoweri Museveni during celebrations to mark UVRI’s 90th anniversary.
Nabbanja said the designation places greater responsibility on Uganda and the region to strengthen health security as disease threats continue to evolve.
“The world is changing rapidly alongside evolving health demands and policies. Through this journey, we have seen and learnt that a nation that studies its own pathogens is a self-reliant nation. We commit to increasing funding for research,” she said.
She added that the centre would not only benefit Uganda but also promote regional cooperation in responding to outbreaks that can easily cross borders.
The Regional Centre of Excellence in Virology is among seven specialised regional medical diagnostic centres established under the EAC Health Investment Priority Framework (2018–2028), endorsed by the 19th Summit of EAC Heads of State.
Speaking at the launch, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Ariik, said the facility would enable scientific expertise developed in one country to benefit the entire region.
“An EAC Regional Centre of Excellence is a specialised institution recognised by the Community to provide advanced expertise, research, training, innovation and technical support in an area of regional importance,” Ariik said.
He said Uganda earned the designation due to UVRI’s decades-long contribution to virus research, disease surveillance and outbreak response, which has earned the institute international recognition.
Ariik noted that the centre would also strengthen the EAC’s One Health approach by promoting collaboration between human, animal and environmental health sectors in tackling emerging infectious diseases.
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, said the centre comes at a critical time as the region continues to face infectious disease threats.
“The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that diseases do not respect borders, and an outbreak emerging in one Partner State can quickly become a regional concern,” Kadaga said.
She noted that while EAC countries have made progress in improving laboratory systems, gaps in technical capacity, expertise and resources still exist.
“The operationalisation of Regional Centres of Excellence provides a mechanism for Partner States to share specialised knowledge, strengthen scientific collaboration and improve collective preparedness and response,” she added.
The establishment of the centre was supported through the EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases Project, funded by the Government of Germany through KfW Development Bank, with technical support from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
UVRI Director Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu said the institute would use its new regional role to strengthen laboratory networks and scientific cooperation across East Africa.
“As a regional hub, UVRI will support advanced virology research, specialised laboratory training, diagnostics, surveillance and knowledge sharing across the EAC region,” Kaleebu said.
He explained that the centre would improve the ability of Partner States to detect, confirm and respond to viral diseases through stronger laboratory systems and coordinated scientific expertise.
Kaleebu said UVRI already plays a key regional role by confirming samples referred from neighbouring countries before disease outbreaks are officially declared, ensuring public health decisions are guided by scientific evidence.
The centre builds on achievements under the EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories for Communicable Diseases Project, including the EAC Mobile Laboratory Network established in 2017.
Through improved laboratory systems, the time required to detect dangerous viral diseases has been reduced from about 72 hours to eight hours, enabling health authorities to respond faster during outbreaks.
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