The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has tightened control over Uganda’s gold trade, unfolding against a backdrop of record-breaking export earnings, a planned entry of the central bank into domestic gold buying, and persistent concerns over transparency and conflict-linked supply chains. The Energy Ministry today issued a detailed public notice restricting gold trade to licensed players. Under the new directive, trading in gold may only take place between holders of valid mineral dealers’ licences for precious metals, gold mining licences, or refining licences, as provided for under the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022. The notice, issued through the Ministry’s…
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Government has issued a default notice of dozens mining companies and licence holders after unpaid mineral rent arrears climbed to UGX 3.75 billion. Woodcross Mining Company Limited and Kilembe Mines Limited are listed as the largest defaulters, according to a public notice by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. In the notice, the Ministry reminded mineral rights and licence holders that under the law, all licence holders have a legal obligation to pay annual mineral rent and royalties to government. The Ministry said the notice serves as the last and final demand, giving defaulters 14 days to clear outstanding…
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Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has secured a five-year financing facility worth USD 50 million (about UGX 190 billion) from Absa Bank Uganda to fund urgent upgrades to the national electricity distribution network, even as the company’s board undertakes a comprehensive investigation into the performance and conduct of senior management. The facility, signed on December 15 at the UEDCL Tower in Nakasero, is earmarked for network reinforcements, construction of new electricity substations, rollout of smart-grid initiatives, reduction of technical losses and integration of renewable energy generation. According to UEDCL, the investments are expected to improve electricity reliability, unlock suppressed…
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The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has commenced the search for its second Executive Director, formally opening the next chapter in the leadership of Uganda’s oil and gas regulator. The recruitment signals a carefully sequenced succession plan ahead of the expected end of Ernest N. T. Rubondo’s second and final term on August 31, 2026. The move is more than administrative. It comes at a moment when Uganda’s petroleum sector is on the cusp of transformation from years of exploration, negotiation and construction into full-scale production. For PAU, the transition marks the end of an era shaped almost entirely by…
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As the Director of Economic, and National Content Monitoring, Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), Peninah Aheebwa is responsible for ensuring cost-efficient oil and gas operations in the country, the economic feasibility of the projects and promoting the participation of Ugandans in the sector. Ms. Aheebwa has experience in the economics, commercial and policy aspects of Uganda’s oil and gas sector. She has contributed to the negotiation of the production licenses, Production Sharing Agreements, the commercialization plans for the country’s oil and gas resources and the formulation of the country’s legal and regulatory framework. She holds a Master’s of Science degree…
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Ali Ssekatawa was appointed the Director for Legal and Corporate Affairs at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) in 2017. He has since amassed years of experience, specializing in tax and oil and gas law. Before the Petroleum Authority, he served with the Uganda Revenue Authority from 2005, rising through the ranks, and was appointed Head of the Litigation portfolio and was a public tax prosecutor from 2011 to 2017. He has litigated and won groundbreaking cases in Uganda and other International Tribunals such as the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration….
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Tom Ayebare Rukundo is the Manager of Economic and Financial Analysis at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) and a rising star where he leads the oversight of the economic and financial aspects of Uganda’s Oil and Gas sector in addition to harnessing linkages between the Oil and Gas sector and other sectors of the Economy for broad-based economic growth. He was deeply involved in the negotiations that facilitated the Final Investment Decision and secured the government’s take from the projects in addition to spearheading and sourcing close to a billion shillings from the private sector to fund research on…
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Alex Nyombi has over nineteen years of experience in the oil and gas industry with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. He’s a member of the Ugandan team that acquired technical data in the Albertine Graben and promoted the country’s oil and gas potential to industry to attract investment. Nyombi participated in the drafting and putting in place the new legislation for the oil and gas sector in Uganda and chaired the team that put in place the new model Production Sharing Agreement and other related agreements for the country. He was the License Manager for the Kingfisher Development…
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Clovice Bright Irumba is a Petroleum Geoscientist with specialized training and practical knowledge in Petroleum Law and Policy with 20 years of working experience in the oil and gas industry, a career that started at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda. He has researched the evolution of the legal framework governing the oil and gas industry in Uganda which has made him develop unique skills not only in legal drafting but also development analysis of petroleum policy and strategy. Mr. Irumba was involved in field studies in the Albertine Graben to establish the petroleum potential of Uganda…
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Abdul Bazara Byakagaba is a seasoned Petroleum Geoscientist holding three Master’s Degrees, specializing in Petroleum Geoscience from Reading University, Strategic Planning and Oil/Gas Management from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom.With over 30 years of hands-on experience, Byakagaba has worked with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Heritage Oil and Gas Limited, Tullow Oil Limited and lately, Oranto Petroleum Limited.He has demonstrated expertise in project management, strategic planning, negotiations, and petroleum exploration, having played a pivotal role in the discovery of the Kingfisher and Jobi/Rii oil fields. Currently serving as the General Manager of Oranto Petroleum Limited –…
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