MPs say local firm joint ventures will improve chances of winning oil, gas contracts

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Members of Parliament on the environment and natural resources have urged local suppliers to form joint ventures if they want to improve competitiveness in Uganda’s fast-growing oil and gas sector.

The call was made on December 10, 2025, as chairperson Herbert Edmund Ariko led the committee members in touring the oil and gas development areas in the districts of Buliisa and Kikuube.

Ariko said financial and technical capacity continues to prevent local firms from securing contracts in the highly competitive bidding processes.

Ariko added that these partnerships aim to promote knowledge transfer, build local capacity, and maximise Ugandan participation in petroleum activities, in line with the goal of the National Content Regulations to promote national content.

Ariko rallied the youth to embrace vocational training if they are to be employed in the oil and gas sector.

“The oil companies are complying with the international standards of environmental conservation as we enter into oil production, and most of the youths are being skilled so that they can take up opportunities,” Ariko said.

Acquire the needed skills

Kyankwanzi District Woman Member of Parliament Christine Bukenya urged Ugandans to acquire the needed skills during the production of oil, which is expected to span over 25 years.

Bukenya added that vocational skilling is crucial for oil development because it provides the specialised technical and practical skills needed for complex tasks in exploration, drilling, and processing, as well as supporting sectors like construction and logistics.  

“We are asking our youths to embrace vocational training, which will help close the skills gap, enable local workforce development for international job opportunities, and ensure a competent and safe workforce,” she said.

She said that the training can also enhance employee performance, engagement, and career advancement, while ensuring that local populations can benefit from the economic opportunities created by the sector.

Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) director legal Ali Ssekatawa said the Tilenga Project in Buliisa district has already avoided a lot of the preliminary adverse impacts through project design, working with contractors to further minimise impact through various control measures and ensure full restoration during and after the construction phase.

“Already, the feeder pipeline from the park has crossed the Nile successfully, and most of the works are being completed to ensure that Uganda gets its first oil,” he said.

Taking up the opportunities

Frank Mugisha, the commissioner for upstream petroleum development in the energy ministry, said as Uganda prepares for its first oil in 2026, it is important that the country continues to ensure that its citizens, especially the youth, are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to take up the opportunities that exist in the crucial sector.

Mugisha said the Government has also ensured that Ugandan local companies participate in the oil and gas sector and that over 80% of the Ugandan companies are already participating, employing about 90% of Ugandans.

“We run an open licensing regime where companies are eligible to apply, and all requirements can be accessed on our platforms. We also have a mandatory requirement for local participation through joint ventures and partnerships. During the development phase, a wide range of goods and services are expected, including pipeline laying, local fabrication, and refinery development,” he said.

Mugisha said Uganda Petroleum Institute, Kigumba is now a center of Excellence for oil and gas training and that it has demonstrated consistent capability to provide demand-driven training and skilling opportunities, elaborating that the institute has now developed into a regional leader in technical training, delivering hands-on industry standards competency aligned with international standards.  

He said that critical technicians who are going to run the activities during the production phase have been trained at the Institute, and these, include: 200 Ugandan technicians under the Tilenga Academy, 140 under EACOP Academy, and 50 for the Kingfisher Field Development under CNOOC.

According to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) $10 million has been spent on training over 14,000 Ugandan technicians, who have been trained and internationally certified in different technical disciplines, including scaffolding, health, safety and environment, welding and operating heavy equipment.