The Oil, Gas Sector Meets Direct Employment Target
Directly employed technicians in oil and gas sector
The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) says the country has surpassed its direct employment target of 13,000 in the oil and gas sector, thanks to ongoing capacity-building programs and strategic investment by sector players.
According to James Okwi, the PAU Capacity Development Officer, the country has closed the technical manpower gap, especially in specialised roles; crane and hoist operators, heavy equipment operators, welders, and electricians.
He was commissioning 30 lifting equipment operators at Da’ Place Hotel in Hoima City. They were trained under a CNOOC Uganda Ltd program as part of its local content development initiatives. Over 16,200 people are directly employed in the oil and gas sector, surpassing the national target of 13,000, per the 2013 National Workforce Skills Development Plan.
This is a result of capacity-building efforts supported by the partnership of TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
Over 14,000 Ugandans have received technical skills in various disciplines related to the oil and gas sector; more than 1,685 heavy truck operators, 1,734 welders, and 279 electricians, enabling employment to 5,100 people from the Bunyoro sub-region in the sector.
Eric Daniel Jumba, the National Content Manager at CNOOC Uganda Ltd, said the graduates were selected from over 500 applicants from Hoima, Kikuube, Masindi and Buliisa districts.
Employment in the sector is facilitated by PAU’s National Oil and Gas Talent Register (NOGTR), a reference point for employers. By March 2024, over 9125 job seekers had registered. Of these, 1989 were female; 109 employers are registered on the NOGTR.
In 2022, Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) sponsored 25 beneficiaries for welders’ training at the Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba (UPIK), Kiryandongo, comprising the basics (foundation) to certification at 6G, the kind used on pipelines.
Most beneficiaries have been hired in the oil and gas sub-sector, according to UNOC National Content Specialist Jessica Kyeyune. CNOOC Uganda Limited has sponsored heavy goods vehicle drivers-250, heavy equipment and machine operators (civil works equipment)-30, coded welders -340, Technical skills -110, and vocational skills training -220.
TotalEnergies’ “Tilenga MOOC” attracted 13,000 participants in 2002; 200 underwent production operations at UPIK and abroad as part of the Tilenga Academy Training Program, which started in 2024.
The company facilitated 1,500 Ugandans for training and certification in skills; heavy goods vehicle driving, scaffolding and working at heights, coded welding, quality control (QC) inspection and non-destructive testing and others.
Additionally, 255 government officials have received various local & international training, while 16 Ugandans have received international scholarships for master’s degree programs in oil and gas courses. Ten internships and 75 graduate trainee placements for Ugandans have been facilitated.
This is in addition to 15,000 attendees of quarterly supplier development workshops held nationally and within the host communities.
Jobs for the skilled are advertised in newspapers and online, including companies’ social media pages. Candidates from the project areas receive special consideration, while companies seeking contracts to supply goods and services are facilitated by PAU’s National Supplier Database, a reference point for companies with opportunities. By March 2024, 3,256 companies had registered; 2605 Ugandan.
Additionally, 16 sectors have been set aside for Ugandan-owned and registered companies: transportation, security, food and beverages, hotel accommodation and catering, human resource management, office supplies, fuel supply, land surveying, and clearing and forwarding.
Others are crane hire, locally available construction materials, civil works, the supply of locally available drilling and production materials, environment studies and impact assessments, information and communication technology services and waste management.
