Uganda to host second oil and gas convention next week

Apr 18, 2016

Running under the theme, “Suppliers’ Roadmap to Operational Excellence”, the conference is largely targeted at reassuring suppliers and subcontractors about the opportunities in the oil and gas sector amidst the tough industry challenges so far.


The Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP) is set to host the second annual oil & gas convention from April 27-28, 2016 at the Kampala Serena Hotel as the country seeks to spark renewed interest in the sector.

Running under the theme, "Suppliers' Roadmap to Operational Excellence", the conference is largely targeted at reassuring suppliers and subcontractors about the opportunities in the oil and gas sector amidst the tough industry challenges so far.

Irene Nakalyango, the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum chief executive said the conference is aimed at reinvigorating the industry and highlighting the salient opportunities that Ugandans must grasp.

"We call upon everyone involved in the supplying of goods and services in the oil and gas sector to make it a point to attend this summit as it will definitely boost their business opportunities," noted Nakalyango.

Uganda's oil industry has been in a lull for almost three years because of government and the international oil companies (IOCs) delayed resolution on the two critical projects of the refinery and the pipeline required for the future development of the natural resource.

This delay happening in the midst of falling global oil prices slowly dampened the expectations of subcontractors and suppliers many of whom have had to lay off workers.  

But there still exist vast opportunities in the supply of food and beverages, transportation, security and joint ventures with foreign firms on provision of equipment, safety gear among others.

To date, government has put emphasis on helping Ugandans get the requisite skills, so they are competitive in the industry.

Major infrastructure is also being built to boost the industry.

Nakalyango said the convention will thus emphasize local service providers' critical needs, improvement and enhancement, mainly because they are the catalyst for national economic empowerment in the years to come.

The conference will also feature side-line sessions that seek to directly address the industry opportunities and challenges and how best the suppliers can prepare to serve the interests of the international oil companies (IOCs) and benefit from the policies.

There will also be discussions around the status of the "National Content In Uganda".
Logistics and transport firms, foods and beverages suppliers, legal service providers amongst many others are expected to attend.

So far major firms Bollore Africa Logistics, CNOOC Uganda, UAP Insurance, TOTAL E&P, GIZ, TULLOW Uganda and PWC have confirmed participation.

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