Human capacity key to boosting oil,  gas sector – Ugandan delegation

GINA, GUYANA, Monday, November 21, 2016

Members of a Ugandan delegation are in Guyana collaborating with officials of the Natural Resources Sector on drafting this country’s oil and gas legislation.

Acting Assistant Commissioner, Directorate of Petroleum, Uganda, Dozith Abinomugisha, told media personnel today, that human capacity is very important and is something that the sector needs.

Abinomugisha, speaking to the media  at the Ministry of Natural Resources, noted that when Uganda discovered petroleum, the country quickly moved to establish the institutional framework before it ventured forward. He added that since 2006, the country has put in place a national oil and gas policy after which legal roles were implemented. This year, the legislation will be completed. “So we have the policies, the law and now we have the institutional framework.”

According to the Acting Assistant Commissioner, Uganda has not yet started commercial production. “We are working on our institutional and legal framework and when we are finished we will go into commercial production,” Abinomugisha explained.

However, the country has issued production licences to companies to commence preparation for production.

Abinomugisha also expressed his appreciation for the partnership since the country can use it as a learning experience.

Meanwhile, Senior Petroleum Geophysicist, Directorate of Petroleum, Alex Nyambi noted that discovery of commercial petroleum is an exciting, yet challenging time. However, “we are proud to be in this partnership with Guyana, and we hope to share a lot, but also learn from each other,” he said.

Legal Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Joanna Homer said that Guyana is a member of the New Petroleum Producers Group led by the Chatham House: Royal Institute of International Affairs, and is also supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Natural Resources Government Institutions.

Homer added that the New Petroleum Producers Group is developed for countries exploring or emerging in producing petroleum.

“Arrangements were made in Kenya to have a particular partnering mentoring relationship with the country which is ahead of Guyana in that they spent time in the development regulatory framework,” Homer explained.

Guyana is the beneficiary of a mentoring exchange programme with Uganda, facilitated by the Chatham House’s New Petroleum Producers Group.

Earlier in the year, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, were in discussions with Uganda to set up a Sovereign Wealth Fund employed for the health of its oil and gas sector.

Minister Trotman had said that the collaboration is necessary, since the Ministry of Natural Resources is tasked with developing policies to govern the incoming oil and gas sector, but the responsibility of actually setting up the fund is with the Ministry of Finance.

 

By Ranetta LaFleur