EACOP outlines community investments as Uganda nears first oil
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline company says it is funding water, schools and health projects along the pipeline corridor, while it still struggles to restore land cleared.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) says its work now centres on lasting community benefits and environmental responsibility as Uganda moves closer to first oil. Deputy Managing Director John Bosco Habumugisha made the case at the 4th Annual Joint Civil Society Conference organised by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, held under the theme "Advancing Sustainability in Uganda's Oil and Gas Sector".
Habumugisha said the company is funding water solutions, solar energy for schools, support for girls' education and tree planting, alongside school Green Clubs. Among ongoing projects, a Health Centre II in Bunyoro is being upgraded to Health Centre III to improve maternal and child health services. EACOP is also training engineers with the China University of Petroleum, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and Mbarara University.
EACOP Environmental Engineer Charity Tushemereirwe named the reinstatement of the pipeline right-of-way and wetlands among the project's most complex outstanding challenges. She said temporary access routes built during construction are now used by communities, which makes closing them difficult.
Why it mattersFamilies along the pipeline corridor are left with construction access routes they now rely on, and the company must restore that land while keeping those routes open.