Makerere to offer oil courses

By Agnes Nantambi

Makerere University College of Natural Science is to start a masters’ degree in petroleum geosciences beginning this academic year.

This follows the inauguration of a seismic laboratory that will help to enhance practical skill of petroleum geosciences students.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Laboratory at Makerere on Thursday, the principal of the college of Natural science Prof J.Y.T Mugisha said that, the Master’s degree is aimed at the promotion of human resource in the oil and gas sector exploration in Uganda and the region as a whole.

“Human resource planning and training, are among the needs for development and exploration of available resources especially in the new sector of oil and gas” he observed.

The one million USD Laboratory has been constructed in a partnership with the University of Bergen in Norway with funding from the Norwegian Embassy.

It will train five masters’ students for three years under the same funding.

He said that the introduction of the laboratory will help students to get exposed to practical skills to ensure success in learning and employability in the field.

“It will enhance capacity and infrastructure efforts for the university helping student to get exposed to the necessary skills marching the best available in the world,” he said

The department of geology and petroleum studies has been offering a bachelors’ of science in petroleum geosciences but government has been spending a lot in taking students abroad to achieve a master’s degree in order for them to work in Oil Companies locally.

He believes that the inauguration of the lab will save a lot of money government has been spending to take students abroad for masters.

“It is very expensive to train a student at a master’s level for two years in petroleum and oil studies, outside it can go even over 30m for a whole course but to us, this is a great opportunity and we thank the Norwegian embassy for this support,” he said.

Meanwhile the vice chancellor Prof Venansious Baryamureeba said the university is moving towards transforming the department of Geology and petroleum studies into a school of petroleum sciences and later into a regional hub and a centre of excellence for petroleum studies.

“Negotiations are going on to Affiliate the Uganda petroleum institute at Kigumba to Makerere University, It is our hope that government supports us in these endeavors,” he wished.

Ernest Rubondo the commissioner Petroleum Exploration and production department in the ministry of energy and Mineral development challenged the private sector to take up petroleum students for internship to build their capacities in the management of petroleum and Gas.