Development in its efforts towards becoming a model of excellence in sustainable management and utilisation of energy and mineral resources.
The ministry is mandated to establish, promote the development, strategically manage and safeguard the rational and sustainable exploitation of energy and mineral resources for development.
We are strongly committed to the principles of good governance, accountability and transparency in implementing our mandate. For instance, the Annual Joint Sector Review has four main objectives:
l To account to the stakeholders how we have used government resources at our disposal in service delivery;
l To agree on the sector priorities and solicit for support from stakeholders to enable us achieve the set targets over the medium and long term;
l To inform stakeholders about the huge potential of energy and mineral resources in bringing about socio-economic transformation of the country; and
l To disseminate our programmes and create awareness among stakeholders to trigger demand for our services.
To achieve our objectives, feedback is a critical. That said, the article raises pertinent issues such as local content and resettlement action plan for the persons affected by refinery project, which needed clarification. These issues are being handled by the ministry and other stakeholders.
The local content issue, for example, is being addressed. There is deliberate policy that provides for the use and consumption of local goods and services, including local human resources. National Content Policy and Plan for the oil and gas sector, which was completed recently and is to be submitted to the Cabinet Oil and Gas Committee has five pillars: Employment of Ugandans, procurement of locally produced or available goods and services, national enterprise development, enhanced vocation and higher education and training, and measurement and monitoring of national content.
In terms of bridging skills gap, Kigumba Petroleum Technical Institute was established to take care of petroleum technicians. The government also introduced Bachelors and Masters Degree programmes in Petroleum Geoscience at Makerere University. Further, local service providers have been mobilised to into associations; there is growth of oil companies' expenditure on contracts with local service providers; regulation of expatriates; and contribution to employment - 52 per cent of direct and 95 per cent of indirect and induced jobs are occupied by Ugandans.
The issue of resettlement action plan and compensation of the persons affected by refinery project is work in progress. I wish to point out, though, that the process is being slowed down by increased activities of the civil society who incite residents of the refinery land to reject compensation. In addition, disputes within families regarding rightful ownership of property, especially women, at times cause delays in signing transaction agreements. Despite the constraints, there are various government committees handling such issues.
The civil society has always asked for compensation values of the project persons. I should clarify that compensation values are private property protected by Article 27 of the Constitution of Uganda, which guarantees privacy to property. This means that such information can only be disclosed to the project affected persons who have already accessed it.
The ministry is committed to effectively and efficiently engage the public and all stakeholders to participate in the sustainable management of Uganda's energy and mineral resources.
