Uganda Explores Transferable Oil Skills

Professor Augustine Ifelebuegu of Makerere University urged Ugandan oil and gas stakeholders to view current skilling initiatives as a foundation for wider economic growth. Speaking at the Third Oil and Gas Skills Expo in Kampala, Ifelebuegu argued that expertise developed in the petroleum sector—welding, engineering, HSE—is readily transferable to manufacturing, construction, and renewable energy. The 2014 Industrial Baseline Survey projected 100,000 to 150,000 jobs would result from the Lake Albert Basin Development project.

Uganda has already trained over 4,000 people with oil and gas-related practical skills and attained international certifications for about 14 institutions. However, concerns persist about job placement for some specialized workers, even as the country invests roughly £120 million in workforce development through 2025. Ifelebuegu cited Norway and South Korea as examples of nations that leveraged resource sectors to build broader industrial capacity.

He cautioned against creating an isolated oil sector, stressing the need to intentionally build pathways for expertise to benefit other industries. The professor’s own career, beginning in environmental work within oil and gas and expanding to water systems and academia, illustrates the potential for skill diversification.