Civil society fears EACOP will worsen corruption

Civil society groups have responded to the government's claims on the benefits of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), saying that it will only worsen corruption.

Government agencies led by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) have recently been publishing media articles and sponsoring virtual debates through which they have made a case for Uganda’s oil and gas exploitation efforts.

Despite warnings from scientists that no new investments in oil, gas and coal must take place if the world is to meet the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, PAU and others have argued exploitation of Uganda’s oil and gas resources, saying that this will drive economic

growth and create jobs among others.

Now after assessing these arguments, civil society groups have argued that they find them totally misleading.

The groups said that arguments that are painting a glamorous picture of the EACOP should be rejected by all.

"We call on all Ugandans, Africans and global citizens to understand that the claims are misleading, wrong," The CSO’s said in a joint statement.

They noted that government efforts to enable economic development and create jobs should be supported by all, but job creation in one sector should not undermine other jobs.

“If mismanaged, the oil and gas sector could hurt agricultural, tourism and clean energy (hydropower) jobs. This would happen due to increased deforestation, biodiversity loss, worsened climate change impacts and others,” they stressed.

According to the civil society groups in Uganda, it is notable that the Albertine Graben, where Uganda’s oil and gas activities are concentrated, is one of Africa’s most eco sensitive and biodiverse and therefore has a great negative impact on climate and wellbeing of the people in the area, if mismanaged.

This website understands that the said graben is home to 70% of Uganda’s national parks. It is also home to over 50% of Africa’s bird species, 39% of Africa’s mammal species, 19% of Africa’s amphibian species, and 14% of Africa’s reptile as well as plant species according to statistics.

The civil society groups argued that the area supports agriculture, tourism, fishing and other important economic activities, and therefore should not be tampered with.

PAU in its arguments said that Uganda needs to exploit its oil and gas resources in order to reduce its GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

In effect, the government agencies led by PAU said that in order to take climate action, Uganda needs to use fossil fuels.

Environmentalists however have disagreed with this narrative, saying that fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas remain the main contributor of GHG emissions.

"Estimates show that these fuels contribute 65% of global carbon emissions. With Uganda seeking to exploit its 6.5 billion barrels of crude oil of which 1.4 to 1.7 billion barrels are recoverable, the country will be increasing its contribution to global GHG emissions, and not reducing them, they argued.

“It is estimated that when burnt (used), the oil transported by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project alone at peak production will produce over 34.3 million metric tonnes of carbon per year. These emissions are equal to those of nine coal-fired power plants," they argued further.

These also added that Uganda already loses over Shs. 20 trillion, almost half of the country’s annual budget, to corruption and if inserted in a corrupt system, oil revenues are unlikely to be beneficial to the ordinary man and woman.

"Moreover, oil revenues have already been subjected to abuse. For instance, in 2017, it was reported that Shs. 6 billion was doled out as a presidential handshake to 42 government officials," they said.

"Further, without parliamentary approval contrary to provisions in the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the government has raided and used oil revenues from the Petroleum Fund as happened in 2019 when Shs. 125 billion was irregularly withdrawn from the fund. The EACOP and other oil projects in Uganda could worsen corruption."

The activists also added that Uganda stands to suffer costs of between $273-437 billion between 2010 and 2050 if no climate action is taken.

They said that Uganda owes it to its citizens to take climate action through promoting clean energy and other green economic alternatives.

"Uganda should lead the way in leaving fossil fuels in the ground and should pressure the big western fossil producers to end fossil exploitation as well," they urged the government.

EACOP, which is also known as the Uganda–Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline, is under construction and intended to transport crude oil from Uganda's oil fields to the Port of Tanga, Tanzania on the Indian ocean.

Once completed, the pipeline will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world.

The signatories to the joint statement included;

Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO)

• African Initiative on Food Security and Environment (AIFE)

• Association of oil-affected youth

• Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment management (CECIC)

• Centre for Environmental Research and Agriculture innovations (CERAI)

• East African Crude Oil Pipeline Host Communities (EACOPHC)

• Environment Governance Institute (EGI)

• Fridays for Future-Uganda (FFU)

• Oil Refinery Residents Association (ORRA)

• Strategic Response on Environmental Conservation (STREC)

• Tasha Research Institute Africa

• Youth for Green Communities (YGC)

• Women for a Green Economy Movement (WoGEM)