Oil exploration in the Albertine and CNOOC’s contribution to Education; How I saw it

by Admin (Posted on October 28, 2022)

By Ssemanda Abdurahim

After the government of Republic of Uganda announced discovery of commercially viable oil deposits in Uganda’s mid-western districts of Buliisa, Hoima and Kikuube, many Ugandans welcomed the news with excitement. The government noted that the discovery of oil was a blessing stressing that many Ugandans would directly and indirectly benefit from discovered oil projecting that Uganda will earn between $2 billion and $3 billion annually once commercial oil production starts. On the other hand, Ugandans especially thosee in the area saw the news as cause for area’s development plus bringing opportunities such as employment to the locals. Indeed, some Ugandans including those from neighboring and far districts rushed to acquire land in the area hopping to benefit from oil exploration especially by engaging in activities that would come up as a result of exploration exercises.

With a group of researchers, we visited King Fisher’s oil field located in Buhuka Parish, Kyangwali Sub-County in Kikuube district. The King Fisher oil field is operated by China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Uganda Ltd. The project is in the valley on shores of Lake albert.

Standing on the escarpment which is over 400 meters above the ground on the shores of the lake, bellow you see the land precipitously dropping down into the western arm of the great rift valley to reveal the immense expanse of Lake Albert and beyond the blue mountains of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

From a newly tarmacked road going through the very stippy mountains to deep down at the shores of the lake, it is very clear that the locals in the area have already started enjoying benefits of the ongoing oil exploration preparations. After being awarded a production license for the Kingfisher Oil Field in 2013, CNOOC started the construction of a 10km road from down the valley through Buhuka hill to Ikamiro village up the escarpment to facilitate the development of the oil field.

The area being in the rift valley, it is clear that before CNOOC constructed the road, it was more less an island and very hard to reach.  To access social services such as health centers and schools, residents would spend several hours climbing the incline which rresidents say was always a nigh mare especially to women and children as well as the sick and elderly.

The other major development in the area CNOOC is supporting is area’s education sector.
Aware that human capital development and well educated and skilled people are essential to facilitate development of the country, CNOOC’s contribution in this regard must be hailed.

CNOOC has set up a fund and for years, it has been offering scholarships to Ugandans to study in high learning institutions. Aware that human capital development is important, CNOOC is not just offering trainings but is also playing a pivotal role of helping in building a base of trained and skilled human capital for Uganda in oil sector.

While at the King Fisher oil field, we met two engineers Lamech Mbangaye and Rita Nasaazi. Engineer Lamech was first employed by CNOOC as Drilling Supervisor Trainee before his promotion as the Drilling Engineer under the department of Drilling and Completion. Rita Nasaazi is one of many female engineers employed by CNOOC. She was first employed as the Cost Control Trainee before her promotion to work as the Completion Engineer under the same department. At the site, you really feel at home as the two Ugandan engineers take you through the process, they will go through in drilling oil. The two engineers completed their master’s degrees in Petroleum engineering from China, thanks to CNOOC’s scholarships for Ugandans.

Digging deep and exchanging with a few locals, we realized that since 2012, the company has executed a number of Cooperative Social Responsibility Projects (CSR) in partnership with various stakeholders. Providing a pinch from the various while viewing from the lens of education, on top of providing international scholarship support to Ugandans, with affirmative action to Hoima region, CNOOC has provided hundreds of training opportunities to locals.

In Hoima region to be specific, CNOOC has been training hundreds of locals equipping them with skills in courses such as automobile basic mechanics and driving, salon and hair dressing, tailoring /fashion and design, welding and metal fabrication, motorcycle mechanics, shoe making, domestic electrical and solar installation, building construction and concrete works and wood work tallying. Most of those who received training are from PAP households.

With over 100 youths who successfully completed trainings given start-up tools and others already in field employed by CNOOC’s subcontractors in the area, as Malcolm X once remarked; “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Broadly, CNOOC’s support in skills and training opportunities to Ugandans should not surprise us. China the home of CNOOC has for many years been offering  training and scholarship opportunities to different Ugandans at different levels. By end of 2021, Beijing had offered Ugandans hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships taken in China and over 5000 Ugandans benefited from China’s short course training opportunities covering different key areas such as agriculture, medical care, infrastructure, information and technology among others.  China is also collaborating with African universities funding research and other learning opportunities.

With such trainings, one can argue that even those who are yet to complete courses or get employed, at least they are prepared and already have the “passport to the future” which is advantage should employment opportunity shows which is almost a must considering many likely opportunities that will come up as the country readies to start real oil production in just three years.  In employment opportunities context, CNOOC is already employing over 2,716 Ugandans which is an average of 78% total personnel comprising of 280 who are employed directly by the company and 2,436 by the contractors.

Ssemanda Abdurahim is a junior Research Fellow at Development Watch Centre.

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