Reported by
Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. The president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the new Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan and oil firms on the 11 April 2021 finally signed the long awaited agreement for building an oil pipeline which will ship crude from fields in western Uganda to the international market.
The two countries together with the French oil giant Total and CNOOC signed the deal in Uganda worth $3.5 billion for construction of the pipeline which would be the world longest at 897 miles the Mail online reported.
This followed Tanzania’s president Samia making her first state visit to the Pearl of African nation for signing the oil agreement that had been long held up by tax disputes, administrative delays and also due to the sudden death of President Dr John Pombe Magufuli who died due to heart condition on the 17 March 2021 only five days away from signing of the agreement.
President Samia Suluhu described the event as “an auspicious occasion” that would not only unlock development of the two nations but East Africa at large.
Why Museveni calls signing of the oil agreement ‘third victory,’?
Ugandan president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has called the 11 April 2021 signing of the Uganda-Tanzania crude oil pipeline agreement as the ‘third victory’ for the two countries saying that the choice of the date was a sentimental one reported the Citizen.
“42 years ago, this same day is when the Tanzanian troops of the 20th Division under General David Msuguri, captured Kampala and enabled a Ugandan army officer David Oyite Ojok to announce the fall of Idi Amin on Radio Uganda,” said president Museveni.
President Museveni added that the two countries have in the past posted military and political victories and now with the oil pipeline deal it is an economic victory.
Museveni also revealed that when the Tanzanian route became viable, a new consideration crossed his mind the historical contribution of Tanzania in the liberation of Uganda in both 1978-79 and 1985-86.
Will Ugandans benefit from this oil deal?
According to the Mail Online, a 2015 World Bank study emphasised that the economic benefits of the crude oil pipeline deal will be considerable if local companies are competitive enough to win lucrative service contracts in the sector.
Enock Lugassira who studied oil related course in India told African Report that he has been unemployed since completing his course in 2016, and the news about the signing of the oil pipeline between the two nations gave him hope, and that he is now optimistic that he will be employed.