As Uganda’s oil and gas sector moves closer to first oil, the focus is increasingly shifting to the lasting benefits of petroleum investments, environmental responsibility and community participation.
For the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), the transition from construction to operations presents an opportunity to demonstrate how major oil and gas infrastructure can deliver value beyond the pipeline itself.
This was highlighted at the 4th Annual Joint Civil Society Conference organized by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), under the theme “Advancing Sustainability in Uganda’s Oil and Gas Sector: Progress, Lessons and Looking Ahead.”
Speaking at the conference, EACOP Deputy Managing Director John Bosco Habumugisha said the project’s sustainability agenda goes beyond infrastructure development to focus on people, shared value and lasting community benefits.
“True sustainable investment has to include a discussion about people. Investment in infrastructure is only meaningful when people are served,” Habumugisha said. As the project prepares for operations, EACOP is working with the China University of Petroleum, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and Mbarara University to provide practical training opportunities for Ugandans.
“Through these partnerships, we want to ensure that our universities are not limited to the theory part of education. How can we ensure that these projects are helping our universities to practically train our engineers?” he said.
Habumugisha also highlighted investments in community development, including water solutions, solar energy for schools, support for girls’ education, health and safety initiatives, and environmental conservation through tree planting and school Green Clubs.
Among the ongoing interventions are the upgrading of a Health Centre II to Health Centre III in Bunyoro to improve maternal and child health services, and collaboration with Buganda Kingdom on youth skilling and a sports facility in Buddu.
“Our ambition has been to ensure that communities located along the pipeline corridor are active participants and beneficiaries of these developments,” he said, adding that the company is also investing in livelihood restoration, women’s empowerment and support for vulnerable and underserved groups.
However, the sustainability journey also comes with challenges, particularly in balancing environmental commitments with community needs.EACOP Environmental Engineer Charity Tushemereirwe identified the reinstatement of the pipeline right-of-way and wetlands as among the project’s most complex outstanding challenges.
She explained that temporary access routes created during construction have become useful to some communities, making their eventual closure difficult despite the project’s commitment to restoring affected areas.
“Because we have created access for communities, they are also using these temporary access routes. It becomes very difficult sometimes when you’re dealing with communities to then go back and say we are going to close this route,” Tushemereirwe explained.
“When we go back and tell communities that we have to close these temporary access routes because it is an environmental commitment for full reinstatement to happen, communities sometimes perceive that as cutting off access to a benefit they have been enjoying from the project.”
She noted that the company must balance maintaining positive relationships with communities while fulfilling its environmental obligations, adding that continued engagement is necessary to explain the importance of full reinstatement. On climate resilience, Tushemereirwe called for a broader perspective that considers both the risks and opportunities presented by climate change.
“Climate resilience, climate change, is not just about the risks, but the opportunities that are there as well,” she said, emphasising the need to identify opportunities that strengthen sustainability as environmental conditions continue to change. As Uganda approaches first oil, Habumugisha said the project’s focus will remain on strengthening local participation, developing skills for the operations phase and ensuring its investments continue benefiting communities beyond construction.
“We are developing a pipeline that serves not only the current generation, but the generation ahead of us, and to ensure that we coexist with the communities where we are working, with shared responsibilities,” he said.
For EACOP, the transition to operations will be an important test of its sustainability commitments, particularly in delivering lasting socio-economic benefits while meeting environmental responsibilities along the pipeline corridor.
