By Uziah Tusaasire
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) says more than 4,000 Ugandans were employed at the peak of construction, as part of efforts to promote local employment and skills development in Uganda and Tanzania.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Joint Civil Society Organisations Conference on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 EACOP representative John B. Habumugisha said the project has also supported more than 132 beneficiaries through internship and graduate trainee programmes, conducted 43 Industrial Enhancement Centre sessions for small and medium-sized enterprises and provided over 40 scholarships to financially disadvantaged engineering students at Makerere and Kyambogo universities.
Habumugisha said EACOP has further delivered more than 240,000 training hours in specialised technical skills and signed cooperation agreements with five Ugandan institutions to strengthen local capacity for the oil and gas sector.
He emphasised that the project’s sustainability programmes should be measured by their lasting impact on household livelihoods, youth employment opportunities and community welfare rather than the number of activities undertaken.
