The Petroleum Association of Uganda (PAU) hosted a delegation comprising of Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Permanent Secretary, Bagiire Vincent Waiswa on a four-day field visit to the Albertine Graben region
“Hearing from people on the ground will boost your confidence that Uganda has ticked off all the boxes in the quest for clean energy,” said Nankabirwa Ssentamu while drawing attention to the operational areas including the East African Oil Pipeline route which encompasses the main camps, pipe yards, livelihood restoration activities and replacement housing.
She encouraged the delegation to focus on familiarising themselves with the international issues that surround the petroleum industry, particularly the economic and social issues in the project affected areas, environmental issues as well as study the procedures, standards and legal provisions. She encouraged them to interface with Project Affected Persons and engage them in conversations to learn their experiences.
Sentamu spoke of the importance of using fossil fuels judiciously, and said that rampant deforestation can be curbed through responsible oil and gas exploration. The delegation will visit the UPIK, the Centre of Excellence for Oil and Gas Training and the Kingfisher Development project in Kikuube district to view the drilling activities.
They will also check out the Waste Management Facility in Luwero Industries as well as inspect feeder pipeline activities and the Kabalega Industrial Park. The itenerary also includes a stop at the Tilenga Project Industrial area, among other places. “By the end of the field visit, we expect to have a highly empowered critical mass of Foreign Service personnel whose understanding of the petroleum economy will be apparent, as they go out to seek for investment partners and collaboration opportunities in their areas of accreditation,” said PS Bagiire.
