Saving lives through finance

His move into government, however, came via an unexpected route – through a recruitment process led by Ernst & Young for Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). What began as a perceived detour quickly became a defining turning point.

‘I realised the public sector had a lot to offer but had been misunderstood because of the bad reputation around the sector in terms of failure,’ he says. ‘I started realising that policy and legislation can be powerful but delivery depends on financial management, governance and leadership. That inspired me to stay.’

It was a realisation that would shape the rest of his career.

Reform in action

Joining NWSC in the mid-2000s placed Ankunda at the heart of a period of critical reform. At the time, many of Uganda’s state-owned enterprises faced the threat of privatisation if performance did not improve.

‘The agenda was simple: if we didn’t change, we would be privatised,’ he recalls.

What followed was a wide-ranging transformation programme that introduced private sector-style performance management contracts, strengthened governance structures and overhauled financial systems.

For Ankunda, it was an early lesson in how reform translates into tangible outcomes.

He points to something as simple as billing reform. Previously, manual processes had meant several month-long delays between manual meter reading, paper billing and cash revenue collection, which hampered service delivery, created cashflow challenges and limited operational effectiveness.

By introducing automated real-time billing and interoperable cash management systems, the organisation improved billing efficiency from several months to less than 30 days and increased revenue collection significantly, while at the same time reducing related collection costs and administrative burdens.

‘This reform – moving from manual to automated systems – reduced response times and improved service delivery,’ he says. ‘You start to see how financial system reforms directly affect how the people experience services.’

Value creation

These experiences deepened Ankunda’s interest in public financial management (PFM) as a driver of public value. ‘I understood that the intersection between technical finance and the public sector was critical for creating value.’

His growing expertise took him to Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, where he joined the unit coordinating PFM reform. The role expanded his perspective to the entire public sector ecosystem, as he worked across diverse government departments both centrally and locally, and engaged with international development partners, including the World Bank, the Global Fund and the European Union, as well as national development banks and agencies.

Working with multiple international donors also honed Ankunda’s ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. ‘Those skills I gained in working with multiple stakeholders at the Ministry of Finance prepared me for international development, where you need to focus on collaboration,’ he says.

The heart of health

Ankunda’s role at the Global Fund sits at the intersection of finance, governance and global health delivery. Here, strong public financial management is not just a governance issue – it is a core determinant of whether life-saving services are delivered, sustained and scaled.

Founded in 2002, the Global Fund is one of the world’s largest financiers of global health programmes. It invests up to US$5bn each year to tackle HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, three of the world’s deadliest diseases, while strengthening health systems in more than 100 countries. Through its partnerships it has saved over 70 million lives.

Ankunda’s work focuses on ensuring that the billions of dollars the organisation mobilises are used effectively, efficiently and sustainably. This is where the Global Fund’s PFM strategy comes in, as the organisation has increasingly integrated PFM into the health sector as a core enabler of sustainability and improved outcomes.

‘At the heart of what we do is enabling countries to deliver impact,’ he says. ‘That means strengthening financial management systems, strengthening fiduciary mechanisms, and ensuring resources we are putting into countries are safeguarded.’

The challenge of sustainability

Externally funded programmes all too often risk faltering once donor support is reduced or withdrawn. By embedding external financing directly within national structures, the Global Fund aims to ensure that progress against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria can be sustained over the long term.

‘Sustainability is at the heart of the conversation,’ Ankunda explains. ‘When we transition out, we don’t want programmes to collapse. We want countries to continue delivering services through their own systems.’

Rather than operating parallel structures, the Global Fund focuses on fortifying national planning and budgeting, budget execution, and oversight mechanisms. A core pillar of this strategy involves supporting partner countries to seamlessly integrate international funding into their own PFM systems.

‘We are pushing for predictability, visibility, alignment and shared accountability,’ Ankunda says. ‘Countries need to know what donor resources are coming in, and those resources need to be reflected in national plans and budgets, utilised through the national funds flow and oversight systems.’

This approach also responds to a tougher funding environment. With global health budgets under pressure, demonstrating value for money and impact is more important than ever. ‘You can only go back to donors if you can show that resources have been used transparently and that impact has been delivered,’ Ankunda says.

Secrets of leadership

Ankunda’s career makes clear that technical excellence alone is not enough to drive meaningful reform. PFM, he argues, succeeds or fails on leadership.

Operating across governments, donors and global institutions requires more than financial expertise. It demands strong collaboration, advocacy, diplomacy and influencing skills. ‘You need to co-create solutions,’ he says. ‘You cannot impose reforms – you have to advocate, align incentives and build trust.’

For Ankunda, the real challenge – and payoff – lies in bringing these elements together. Technical finance provides the foundation, but it must be combined with policy understanding, stakeholder engagement and the adaptability to work across different systems and cultures.

‘It’s about connecting the dots of technical finance, policy, collaboration, influence and adaptability,’ he says. ‘Those are the skills I have been looking to whenever I need to push the agenda of reform.’