COMMENT | TIMOTHY WILKINS OKANYA | For years, Uganda’s oil story has been told in the future tense. We’ve navigated a decade of discoveries in the Albertine Graben, sat through marathon negotiations, and watched the rigs rise with a mix of patience and prayer. But the wait is over. …
Read More »Museveni meets Dangote, pushes for Hoima oil refinery
Kampala, Uganda | URN | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has endorsed a proposed multi-billion-dollar regional oil refinery initiative championed by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, while firmly reiterating that Uganda’s own 60,000 barrels-per-day refinery in Hoima will proceed as planned. The position emerged following high-level discussions between President Museveni and Dangote …
Read More »Strait of Hormuz standoff shows everything is about leverage
For Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been a valuable geopolitical asset, and its strong negotiating position demonstrates a classic principle of game theory COMMENT | RENAUD FOUCART | Iran’s military might was never going to be a match for the US and Israel. So instead it turned to the highly …
Read More »Dangote and the rise of African industrial capital
Aliko Dangote’s industrial push is a leading example of how African capital can finance and build large-scale industrial systems. From Nigeria’s shift to net fuel exports in 2026 to plans for petrochemical expansion and a pan-African listing, his refinery is reshaping ownership, financing, and value capture. NEWS …
Read More »Uganda on track for first oil by June 2026, Museveni reaffirms
Kampala, Uganda | URN | Uganda is on course to achieve its long-awaited First Oil by June 2026, President Yoweri Museveni has reaffirmed, describing the milestone as a key launchpad for the country’s industrial transformation. The president’s message was delivered by Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu during the closing of the …
Read More »President Museveni awards PAU’s Ssekatawa Diamond Jubilee Medal
Buikwe, Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | As Uganda nears First Oil, Presidential recognition has been conferred on several leading Ugandans, including Ali Ssekatawa, Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), President Yoweri Museveni today awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal to Ssekatawa, Director of Legal and …
Read More »Turning Oil into Opportunity: A banker’s role in Uganda’s first oil journey
OPINION | MUMBA KALIFUNGWA | As Uganda approaches the long-anticipated milestone of first oil, it does so at a moment of profound contradiction in the global energy narrative. On one hand, the world is accelerating toward a low-carbon future, with growing consensus around the need to scale renewable energy. On the other, …
Read More »Oil and gas sector players defend continued skilling of Ugandans
Kampala, Uganda | URN | The oil and gas companies continue to train Ugandans with skills related to the sector even as major construction nears completion. Questions have been raised on whether the skills being imparted now will be required when the country begins to produce oil. Others have asked …
Read More »The age of global un-order
As crises become more complex, less predictable, and increasingly intertwined, the global system is no longer anchored by shared rules and norms COMMENT | MARK LEONARD | The US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and launched the United States’ most consequential Middle Eastern adventure since …
Read More »Ambassador Mwesigye calls for policy alignment for East Africa to reap energy benefits
Kampala, Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | Ambassador Col. (Rtd.) Fred Mwesigye, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, has called for the urgent alignment of policies between East African nations to solidify the regional energy corridor and ensure First Oil serves as a catalyst for industrialization. Speaking Wednesday during the 11th Oil …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price