Is Uganda committed to ensuring transparency in oil and gas sector?

The Executive Director of the International Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), Mark Robinson, has expressed optimism about Uganda’s willingness to ensure transparency in the oil, gas, and minerals sector.

According to Mr Robinson, openness in the extractive industry is necessary if the sector is to benefit the people.

Robinson and Suneeta Kaimal, President and CEO of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), were in Uganda last week to meet government officials on the progress in ensuring public disclosure of contracts under the extractives sector.

“The EITI seemed to have curved out open space in Uganda for genuine, free, and open debate on these complex issues around the extractive industry,” he said. 

Robinson said he met Finance Minister Matia Kasaija who was receptive about the issue.

“We identified some of the improvements that could be made. He was very receptive. For example, how can contracts further be made open to the public? So there is a process to move towards that goal,” he said.

His visit to Uganda follows the validation report on Uganda whose results were released in May 2024. The EITI Board said Uganda had achieved a moderate score in implementing the 2019 EITI Standard (78.5 points). 

The overall score reflects an average of the three component scores on Stakeholder engagement, Transparency, and Outcomes and impact. 

On the Transparency component, Uganda achieved a fairly low score (67.5 points). 

He confirmed that they discussed making public the audited accounts of Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).

“He was very receptive to that idea. So I was very struck there receptivity and recognition from the government to respond positively to some of the recommendations” added Robinson. 

Sources who attended the meeting with the minister said he asked his visitors about what Uganda would gain from its participation with EITI. Robinson said the Minister’s equation was good because it reconfirmed why Uganda signed up to the EITI. 

Uganda was admitted as an EITI-implementing country in August 2020. When EITI countries commit to contract transparency, they accept to publicly disclose the full text of any contract, license, concession, or other agreement governing the exploitation of oil, gas, and mineral resources.    

By joining EITI, Uganda committed itself to using its EITI membership to strengthen efforts in ensuring overall transparency in the sector, strengthen tax collection, promote public debate, improve the investment climate, build trust, and create lasting value from petroleum and mineral resources.