KAMPALA, October 9, 2025 – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has announced that Uganda will commence drilling its first oil next year, marking a significant milestone in the country’s long-awaited journey towards commercial oil production.
The President made the announcement during celebrations to mark Uganda’s 63rd Independence Day, held today the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala. He noted that, after years of exploration and infrastructure development, the oil sector is now poised to start delivering tangible results.
The event was held under the theme: “63 Years of Independence: A Reason to Double Our Efforts in Sustaining a United and Progressive Nation.”
“The oil will start flowing next year,” Museveni said. He added: “Fortunately, Uganda is about to start flowing, and that will enable us to do more work at the same time. Even with the oil money, however, my strong proposal is that we concentrate on budgeting for roads, defence, education, electricity, health, water for drinking and irrigation, wealth creation, the Parish Development Model, and science and innovation.”
Uganda’s oil production will primarily take place in the Albertine Graben, where commercial reserves were discovered in 2006. The country’s total resource is estimated at 6.5 billion barrels, of which approximately 1.4 billion barrels are deemed recoverable.
The multi-billion-dollar development is being implemented under two major projects: the Tilenga Project, operated by TotalEnergies EP Uganda, and the Kingfisher Project, led by CNOOC Uganda Limited. The Uganda National Oil Company [UNOC] represents the government’s interest, holding a 15 percent stake in each project.
Supporting the development is the construction of key infrastructure, most notably the East African Crude Oil Pipeline [EACOP]—a 1,443-kilometre pipeline jointly funded by Uganda, Tanzania, TotalEnergies, and CNOOC. Once completed, the pipeline will transport crude oil from Hoima in western Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania for export.
Reflecting on Uganda’s historical struggle to discover petroleum, Museveni criticised the colonial government’s unsuccessful attempts.
“The British were in Uganda for 68 years, and between 1920 and 1956 they tried to find petroleum but failed,” he said. “They had noticed oil spills on the surface and assumed the oil had been there but evaporated. When the National Resistance Movement [NRM] came to power, we successfully discovered Uganda’s petroleum.”
Looking ahead, Museveni also offered an optimistic economic outlook, revealing that Uganda’s economy is projected to reach US$ 66.9 billion by June 2026, based on the foreign exchange method. He added that the following year is expected to see 7 percent economic growth.
https://thecooperator.news/ugandan-students-sent-abroad-for-oil-and-gas-training/
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