Uganda to get national talent register for oil jobs

Feb 08, 2018

For any foreigner to get a work permit, the employer must demonstrate that there was no competent Ugandan (for an oil job),” he said.

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) is developing a national talent register for all Ugandan citizens who are qualified to work in the oil and gas industry.

Speaking at a national suppliers' workshop for the Tilenga upstream project organized by Fluor and Ponticelli on Tuesday, Ali Sekatawa, PAU's director for legal and corporate affairs revealed that the register is meant to ensure that players in the oil and gas industry give priority to Ugandans for jobs.

"As part of the national content plan, for anyone to get a work permit in Uganda, they need to get clearance from the petroleum authority. For you to get this clearance, you must demonstrate that there was no competent Ugandan (for an oil job)," he said.

Sekatawa revealed that the register is in final stages of being designed and will be officially launched soon.

"So if there is a qualified Ugandan, we shall insist that they get the job."

Oil and gas activities in Uganda are entering a critical stage as the country grows closer to first commercial oil production, more than ten years since the 6.5 billion barrels of reserves were discovered.

The three anchor-projects for the industry, the Tilenga upstream project, the Kingfisher oilfield project and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) are in the final stages of Front-End Engineering Design (FEED).

After FEED results are released, Final Investment Decisions (FID) will be taken, before the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) phase commences.

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