Ambassador Natalie Brown eyes stronger Uganda, US ties

The new US ambassador to Uganda Natalie E. Brown arrived in the country over the weekend and announced her commitment to continuing to grow the relationship between the two countries.

“Hello Uganda, I am thrilled to be here. I look forward to getting to know Uganda & building on the strong U.S.-Ugandan partnership,” Ambassador Natalie Brown tweeted on Sunday.

She said she had started a 14-day home quarantine now as per Covid-19 guidelines after which she’ll start meeting Ugandans and “represent the U.S. to the people of Uganda!”

The United States established diplomatic relations with Uganda in 1962, following Uganda’s formal independence from the United Kingdom and the two countries have since worked together on different fronts, including trade, education, security and health.

The US government says it “provides significant development and security assistance to Uganda, with a total assistance budget exceeding $970 million per year.”

Uganda is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

U.S. exports to Uganda include machinery, optical and medical instruments, wheat, and aircraft. U.S. imports from Uganda include coffee, cocoa, base metals, and fish.

The United States has committed to signing trade and investment framework agreements with the East African Community and with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.

Uganda is a member of both regional organizations.

Natalie Brown was confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Ambassador to Uganda on August 6, 2020, replacing Deborah Malac.

She previously served as the Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Asmara, Eritrea from 2016-2019. 

Other senior leadership positions include Deputy Permanent Representative and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome, Italy from 2013-2016, where she was elected to represent North America on the Finance Committee of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

Ambassador Brown also served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia from 2010-2013 as that country transitioned from dictatorship to democracy.

Throughout her career, the embassy says, Ambassador Brown has garnered experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy with a geographic focus on Africa and the Middle East.

Ambassador Brown’s previous assignments include service as the Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan and as the Political Chief of the U.S. Embassy Kuwait City, Kuwait.

In Washington, she served twice in the State Department Executive Secretariat’s Operations Center, including as a Senior Watch Officer on September 11, and as an International Affairs Officer in the Office of UN Political Affairs in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.  Still earlier she was the State Department’s Desk Officer for Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in the Office of West African Affairs.  She also had assignments overseas in the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and in the U.S Embassy Conakry, Guinea.

Ambassador Brown earned her B.S from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was awarded her M.S. from the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, Virginia.

She is an alumna of the International Career Advancement Program and was the first State Department participant in the International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation Fellows Program.  Ambassador Brown speaks French and Arabic and has studied Italian, German, Amharic, and Tigrinya.