Kampala, Uganda – Kyambogo University has entered into a transformative partnership with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, EACOP Ltd, aimed at enhancing training and capacity building in Uganda’s oil and gas sector. The agreement sealed in a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, is intended to equip Ugandan graduates and professionals with the requisite skills and knowledge for the industry.

Boosting Skills for Uganda’s Oil and Gas Industry

The MoU was signed on behalf of EACOP’s contractors and suppliers to create a structured framework in which collaboration could take place towards national content capacity building initiatives. The pipeline will be quite complex, meaning several national and international contractors and suppliers will get involved in its construction and in the supply of different equipment. Such a partnership offers young Ugandans specialized training and job opportunities in the petroleum industry.

Guillaume Dulout, the Managing Director of EACOP, welcomed the agreement as a landmark one that would seal the future of Uganda’s workforce.

“Working in close collaboration with institutions like Kyambogo University will enable us to create a competent and knowledgeable workforce which will drive the oil and gas sector toward improving the livelihoods of many Ugandans. Kyambogo University has continuously shown its determination to foster talent and innovation. ” Through this MoU, we hereby acknowledge and celebrate the foundational role your institution will play within the training that the next cohort of engineers, technicians, and various professionals shall perform for the full success of EACOP and beyond.

This partnership complements the existing ones that EACOP has with other educational institutions, such as the Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba and Makerere University. Other professional bodies, including the Institute of Surveyors of Uganda, have also partnered with EACOP in facilitating the onboarding of graduate trainees to ensure worthwhile career paths for the youth within the industry.

To develop the national content, all EACOP’s tier-one contractors and suppliers have agreed to co-operate with EACOP to build capacities in various Ugandan graduates, technicians, lecturers, and instructors at several vocational and tertiary institutions. The implementation of such commitments shall be pursued through the following initiatives:

1. Internship and Graduate Training Programs: This would give experience and exposure to young professionals in career development.
2. Training of Trainers Programs: University staff skills are enhanced to equip students with the latest industry knowledge and hands-on skills.

A Win for Kyambogo University and Its Graduates

Prof. Elly Katunguka, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University, said they were grateful for the partnership since it would play a big role in solving the employment problems facing engineering graduates.

Kyambogo University is one of the biggest engineering training institutions in the country, graduating over 1,000 engineers last year. With limited job opportunities available in the country, such initiatives that can absorb many of our graduates are so important and greatly appreciated,” Prof. Katunguka said.

He also emphasized the value of the trainer program that will further equip lecturers with new knowledge and technologies that can be transferred to students, hence enriching academic curricula and improving the employability of graduates.

“The involvement of the private sector in shaping university curricula is a critical aspect that we have not fully leveraged in the past. This partnership allows us to bridge that gap,” he added.

Impact and Future Prospects

EACOP has already demonstrated its commitment to capacity building through previous agreements with UPIK, Makerere University, and professional bodies such as the Institute of Surveyors of Uganda. This has included graduate trainees into contractor and supplier networks, in addition to providing internship opportunities within the internal departments at EACOP.

The graduate training program has so far benefited a total of 128 graduate trainees, from both Uganda and Tanzania, with specialist training and industrial experience. The EACOP and its contractors have also offered train-the-trainer sessions, both physical and virtual to a total of 13 trainees.

The MoU will accord students and staff at Kyambogo University with the latest industry training, exposure to state-of-the-art technologies, and direct exposure to oil and gas operations. As the oil and gas sector is still developing in Uganda, it is through such collaborations that a highly skilled workforce will be built to meet both national and international industry standards.

This partnership points to a bright future for Uganda’s young professionals and further cements the country’s efforts at maximizing local participation and expertise in the oil and gas industry.