The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), under the guidance of the Executive Director, Mr. Ernest Rubondo, has today hosted a strategic engagement with the Board of Directors and Executive Management team of the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), at their head office in Kampala.
This high-level meeting is an important milestone aimed at renewing strategic alignment and strengthening collaboration between the two key institutions responsible for managing Uganda’s oil and gas sector ahead of First Oil in 2027.
The engagement comes at a critical juncture, with major upstream and midstream projects progressing rapidly toward production.
Renewing Strategic Alignment for Lasting Value
In her opening remarks, Ms. Lynda Biribonwa, Chairperson of the PAU Board, underscored the significance of convening the two Boards.
She noted that effective collaboration between PAU as the regulator and UNOC as the commercial arm is paramount to ensure that petroleum operations create lasting value for society and contribute to Uganda being a sound investment destination.
“The PAU’s mandate is to regulate and monitor the entire petroleum value chain, ensuring efficiency, safety, and national participation,” Ms. Biribonwa said.
She added that UNOC’s role is to manage the state’s commercial interests, grow the business, and build operational excellence across all segments, which include: Exploration, Production, Midstream, and Downstream.
UNOC’s Decade of Achievements
Ms. Biribonwa took the opportunity to congratulate UNOC on several major achievements that solidify its position as a central player in the sector’s development.
She noted that UNOC recently marked a decade of operation, demonstrating its institutional growth and capacity building.
Ms. Bibonwa also revealed that UNOC successfully secured the government’s strategic 15% participating interest in both the Tilenga (operated by TotalEnergies) and Kingfisher (operated by CNOOC) production licenses, placing it at the heart of the country’s first oil projects.
She highlighted more progress that is underway under the Kasurubani exploration licence, UNOC’s first venture as a license holder, which aims to establish additional hydrocarbon resources.
In addition to that, she underscored UNOC’s Midstream Milestones, where key progress has been achieved, including securing the first tranche of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) financing and signing the Refinery Implementation Agreement with a new partner.
On Downstream Stability, Ms. Biribonwa noted that UNOC is successfully executing its mandate as the sole importer of petroleum products, a strategic government move designed to enhance security of supply and stabilise domestic fuel prices.
The outcome of this strategic engagement is expected to result in renewed institutional clarity, optimised processes, and a unified approach to steering Uganda’s oil and gas sector through the final phases of project execution toward the targeted First Oil in 2027.