MUBS in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) organized a one-day Energy expert workshop at Royal suites hotel Bugolobi on September 25, 2024, to implement a capacity-building and research project titled “Capacity Building for Socially Just and Sustainable Energy Transitions, 2021-2026.” The workshop was held under the theme “managing Uganda’s oil and gas sector under uncertainty”. One of the keynote speakers Mr. Tom Ayebare Rukundo the Manager, Economic and Financial Analysis Department at Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) discussed the governance and development of Uganda’s oil and gas sector and noted that the Authority regulates the oil and gas sector on behalf of Ugandans.
He presented the new developments in the sector that included the 2008 national oil and gas policy, updated
laws, and the establishment of three pillar institutions, that is the Ministry for Energy, the regulator, and the National Interest Agency. In his keynote address, Mr. Rukundo said that the sector employs over 14,000 people with 90% being Ugandans and has awarded $1.8 billion in contracts to Ugandan companies.
Dr. Gerald Banaga Baingi the Assistant Commissioner and Energy specialist at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Development urged university students to read and understand what informs policy to enable the country to achieve a just and sustainable energy transition. He appreciated the organizers for supporting students to do research in the energy realm. Dr. Ronnet Atukunda the Dean Faculty of Economics, Energy and Management Science said that the workshop sought to inform and support the development of potential energy transition pathways for Uganda’s oil and gas industry, explore the current state of the sector, the risks and uncertainties it faces and also to address what constitutes a just and sustainable transition for Uganda and the factors that could drive such a transition.
She asked the energy students to leverage on the workshop and engage with the officials from various companies to
fill in the missing links so that their research informs policy and facilitates a smooth and sustainable energy transition. The workshop attracted professionals from various fields including energy technology, energy financing and investment, climate and environmental governance, oil and gas regulation, and legal experts in the energy
sector, development partners, regulatory bodies, academia, media and civil society.