KAMPALA—Uganda has made some progress in the governance of its natural resources, but is still classified as “weak” in this regard, according to a new assessment.
In the 2021 Resource Governance Index, experts found small improvements in the country’s governance of the oil and gas sector, but point to particular failings in the licensing process.
“Without a publicly available cadaster showing who has the licenses to which blocks, and without the disclosure of contracts between the government and companies, we Ugandans are largely in the dark about who has the right to explore and extract oil, and on what terms,” said Paul Bagabo, Uganda-based senior officer for the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), which publishes the index. “We also don’t know who owns the companies with which the government does business, and therefore are in need of laws requiring the public identification of ‘beneficial owners.’”
NRGI also found Uganda’s governance of local impacts of oil and gas projects to be lacking, citing the inability of citizens to access environmental and social impact assessments without a waiting period and paying a fee.
NRGI did note improvements to the governance of the Petroleum Fund, but laws regarding deposits, withdrawals and investment rules scored poorly.
“There is fierce debate internationally and within Uganda about the role of emerging oil producers amid the transition to green energy, as well as the coronavirus pandemic,” said Bagabo. “A transparent and accountable oil and gas regime would ensure that revenues from oil operations are invested wisely to avoid ‘stranded assets’ as importing countries reduce their appetite for fossil fuels.”
NRGI rated Uganda’s mining sector as slightly better governed than oil, though still in the “weak” category. Like the hydrocarbons sector, licensing and local impacts are a problem, the index assessors said.
Stronger points on the mining side were the existence of an open mining cadaster, reforms in the fiscal regime and robust rules for disclosure and auditing of the subnational resource revenue sharing mechanism.
“In addition to problem areas in the mining and oil and gas sectors specifically, resource governance in Uganda is also hampered by a poor overall ‘enabling environment,’” Bagabo said. “Inadequate institutional arrangements for the control of corruption remain a challenge, which may impact our ability to govern our resources well.”
Notes to editors:
For more information:
Paul Bagabo
Senior Officer
Natural Resource Governance Institute
+256 (0) 783909531
[email protected]
Lee Bailey
Communications Director
Natural Resource Governance Institute
+44 (0)7823 442 954
[email protected]
In the 2021 Resource Governance Index, experts found small improvements in the country’s governance of the oil and gas sector, but point to particular failings in the licensing process.
“Without a publicly available cadaster showing who has the licenses to which blocks, and without the disclosure of contracts between the government and companies, we Ugandans are largely in the dark about who has the right to explore and extract oil, and on what terms,” said Paul Bagabo, Uganda-based senior officer for the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), which publishes the index. “We also don’t know who owns the companies with which the government does business, and therefore are in need of laws requiring the public identification of ‘beneficial owners.’”
NRGI also found Uganda’s governance of local impacts of oil and gas projects to be lacking, citing the inability of citizens to access environmental and social impact assessments without a waiting period and paying a fee.
NRGI did note improvements to the governance of the Petroleum Fund, but laws regarding deposits, withdrawals and investment rules scored poorly.
“There is fierce debate internationally and within Uganda about the role of emerging oil producers amid the transition to green energy, as well as the coronavirus pandemic,” said Bagabo. “A transparent and accountable oil and gas regime would ensure that revenues from oil operations are invested wisely to avoid ‘stranded assets’ as importing countries reduce their appetite for fossil fuels.”
NRGI rated Uganda’s mining sector as slightly better governed than oil, though still in the “weak” category. Like the hydrocarbons sector, licensing and local impacts are a problem, the index assessors said.
Stronger points on the mining side were the existence of an open mining cadaster, reforms in the fiscal regime and robust rules for disclosure and auditing of the subnational resource revenue sharing mechanism.
“In addition to problem areas in the mining and oil and gas sectors specifically, resource governance in Uganda is also hampered by a poor overall ‘enabling environment,’” Bagabo said. “Inadequate institutional arrangements for the control of corruption remain a challenge, which may impact our ability to govern our resources well.”
Notes to editors:
- The Resource Governance Index (RGI) serves as key point indicators in the extractive sector governance in resource producing countries around the world. It also serves as a global benchmark, country and sector diagnostic tool, and a roadmap for policy and practice reform.
- The 2021 Resource Governance Index assesses how 18 resource-rich countries are managing their oil, gas and mineral wealth. The composite index has three components. Two measure essential characteristics of the extractive sector, namely value realization and revenue management, and the third analyzes the overall governance framework. These three overall dimensions of governance comprise 14 subcomponents with 51 indicators, which are calculated using 136 questions.
- To access the 2021 Resource Governance Index mining assessment, visit www.resourcegovernance.org/analysis-tools/publications/2021-resource-governance-index-uganda-mining.
- To access the 2021 Resource Governance Index oil and gas assessment, visit www.resourcegovernance.org/analysis-tools/publications/2021-resource-governance-index-uganda-oil-and-gas.
For more information:
Paul Bagabo
Senior Officer
Natural Resource Governance Institute
+256 (0) 783909531
[email protected]
Lee Bailey
Communications Director
Natural Resource Governance Institute
+44 (0)7823 442 954
[email protected]