AfDB gives Shs 1.85bn to Ugandan SMEs targeting oil and gas deals

Ugandan micro, small and medium enterprises working within the petroleum sector have received US$ 500,000 (Shs 1.85bn) from the African Development Bank to boost their chances of partaking of the opportunities that will accrue during the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The EACOP is a 1,443km, 24-inch diametre heated and buried crude oil pipeline that will start from Kabaale, Hoima in western Uganda to Chongoleani, Tanga in Tanzania.

Local entrepreneurs on either side of the border have been preparing for years to have a share of the US$ 3.5bn (Shs 13 trillion) that is expected to be spent during the construction phase of the pipeline. However, many of them lack technical capacity to partake of the opportunities.