The significance of Technical Collaboration Between Makerere University, Oil Companies, the Government and other Universities

Uganda has proven oil reserves of about 6.5 billion barrels that have been discovered in the Albertine graben of the western Arm of the East African Rift System ( PEPD., 2013 ).

In 2009, the department of geology and petroleum studies at Makerere University introduced a BSc. Programme and later a MSc. Programme (2012) in Petroleum Geosciences in Petroleum Geoscience and Production. This came at a time when Uganda had discovered enormous recoverable oil and gas reserves and there was an urgent need for a skillful national enterprising capacity to work in the future oil industry when production commences. This is in line with Uganda’s National oil and Gas Policy of 2008 on development and maintaining of national skills and expertise.

Because the petroleum industry in Uganda is fast expanding, there is a strong need to build capacity at the institutions of higher learning in order to fill the human resource capacity gaps for both public and private sectors.

Therefore since the course was introduced at Makerere University, the department of geology and petroleum studies has in its capacity forged relationships with both the government (The Ministry of energy and mineral development and the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department, PEPD), Norwegian government, oil and gas companies like CNOOC, TOTAL E&P, Tullow oil and Schlumberger a service company.

The collaboration has positively enriched graduates with skills that are relevant in the national oil and gas industry as they are equipped with knowledge in geoscience software, practical exploration techniques, health and safety geology, petroleum geochemistry, petroleum economics and reservoir engineering.