US President George W. Bush promised Africans today he would spend the full $15 billion he has sought for a five-year AIDS plan, despite moves in Congress to cut funding for the first year.
"This is my country's pledge to the people of Africa and the people of Uganda. You are not alone in this fight. America has decided to act," Mr Bush said at the TASO AIDS clinic on the shores of Lake Victoria during a brief visit to Uganda.
"Over the next five years my country will spend $15 billion to fight AIDS around the world, with a special focus here on the continent of Africa," he said.
Mr Bush's pledge came a day after Republicans in the House of Representatives moved bills backing his request for $2 billion next year to fight the global pandemic - $1 billion less than the amount provided for in a plan he signed in May.
The $2 billion is in line with the White House request for the first year, but White House officials have said Bush would seek greater amounts in subsequent years.
Mr Bush and Congress have pledged a bigger effort to fight the epidemic they say poses a staggering humanitarian disaster that may further destabilise nations in Africa and the Caribbean.
Mr Bush said Uganda's programs of prevention, treatment and encouraging sexual abstinence were a model for Africa.
In contrast to Botswana, which has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world and was a Thursday stop for Mr Bush, Uganda has reduced infection rates from about 30 percent in 1992 to six percent in 2000, according to government figures.