Uganda urged to expand health, education services exports

KAMPALA, October 1, 2026 — Uganda should create a supportive environment to expand exports of health and education services and tap into growing regional demand, industry experts have said.

The call was made during a two-part webinar series organised around findings from two studies by the Economic Policy Research Centre [EPRC] examining the status and potential of Uganda’s health and education services sectors.

EPRC analysis shows that Uganda’s overall trade-in-services deficit reached US$ 2.6 billion in 2025, with experts saying greater positioning of health and education as tradable services could help narrow the gap.

Uganda’s health services exports increased from US$ 3.3 million in 2015 to US$ 26.8mln in 2024, while education services exports rose from US$ 31mln to US$ 103mln over the same period.

Philemon Okillong, a Research Analyst at EPRC, said regional demand was driving the growth of the market, with Kenya and Rwanda among the key consumers.

“Regional demand drives this market, with Kenya and Rwanda leading as key consumers,” Okillong said.

Health and education have traditionally been viewed primarily as social services, but the experts said they are increasingly becoming important economic activities.

EPRC Executive Director Sarah N. Ssewanyana said expanding exports in the two sectors could strengthen domestic services while creating opportunities for Uganda to attract regional consumers.

“Developing these exports provides an opportunity to improve the quality and scale of domestic services while positioning Uganda as a trusted regional centre for specialised care and learning,” she said.

Dr Alfred Driwale, Commissioner of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, said the discussions had helped broaden the understanding of health services beyond domestic consumption.

However, he said significant challenges remained in tracking the sector’s contribution to the economy.

“Current health information systems fail to evaluate services from a financial perspective and omit services provided to groups like refugees,” Driwale said.

Dr Diana Ssewanyana of Aga Khan Hospital Nairobi said existing data also failed to capture the full scale of patients travelling across borders to seek treatment.

“Existing data understates both inbound and outbound patient traffic for treatment,” she said.

In the education sector, Brighton Barugahare, Commissioner of Policy Analysis and Research at the Ministry of Education, said Uganda would need to make several policy changes to take advantage of regional demand.

He said the country needed to improve overall educational standards, address regulatory fragmentation among the bodies overseeing the sector and tackle reluctance among learning institutions to share operational data.

“Capitalising on regional potential will require improving overall educational standards, resolving regulatory fragmentation across governing bodies, and addressing the reluctance of learning institutions to share operational data,” Barugahare said.

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