President Yoweri Museveni has encouraged Total Energies Uganda, CNOOC Uganda Limited, and other oil and gas companies in the country to go ahead with their East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and refinery program so as to have the first oil in 2025 as scheduled.
While officiating the Uganda International Oil and Gas Summit this afternoon at Serena Hotel, Museveni said that he’s committed to the EACOP project because it is good for the integration of the energy plans with the coastal countries (like Tanzania) and the inter-land (Uganda).
“I encourage the oil companies to move on the two, the refinery and the pipeline. And to the European Union Parliament, I want to say that the country’s oil and gas plan will be implemented as per the schedule,” said Museveni.
He further stated that countries will benefit more from the pipeline.
“While we have a lot of oil, we don’t have much gas, while Tanzania and Mozambique have a lot of gas. The same corridor where EACOP will run can also carry a return pipeline to transport gas to Uganda. This is one of the reasons why I am in support of the pipeline,” he said.
Last week, the EU parliament adopted a resolution condemning human rights violations as well as major environmental and climate risks posed by the Tilenga and East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) projects developed in Uganda and Tanzania by French oil major Total.
The EU Members of Parliament (MEPs) noted that over 100,000 people are being forcibly evicted to make way for this mega oil project, noting that they are being denied free use of their land – and thus their livelihood – even before receiving compensation.
The resolution also condemns the persecution and intimidation of civil society organisations and human rights defenders who dare to criticise the project, recalling that several activists have been arbitrarily detained, prompting several UN Special Rapporteurs to issue no less than four joint communications on the subject in the last two years.
In response, Museveni has said that this is a wrong battleground for them and that they should stop broadcasting their ignorance all over the place.
“These MPs are young girls and should not lecture me on what to do in Uganda. They should calm down. Somebody should counsel them,” Museveni said.
He added, “I would advise Europeans to spend more time on the issues affecting our people there. They should leave East Africa alone. It has capable people.”