In preparation for the development and production phase, Tullow Oil has undertaken Production Training Programs for 10 talented Ugandans who will become the future experts in production operations in Uganda.

The ten Ugandans completed courses in hydrocarbon production technical skills and production operations to become Tullow's very first Ugandan experts in production operations.

The team undertook their skills training at TTE International Ltd, one of Europe's leading technical training institutes in petroleum and chemical industries based in the North-East of England. The successful team members are; Ronald Ssempebwa, Stanley Kiganda, Denis Kiyingi Dennis Kiwanda, Innocent Osuna, Mark Olweny, Kenneth Opitto, Godfrey Ojambo, Alfred Busobozi and Collins Opio.

Mr. Jimmy Mugerwa Tullow Uganda's General Manager said as a company, they are proud to have supported Ugandan talent in achieving the milestone as part of their commitment to supporting national capacity development in oil and gas.

"This team will play a critical role in the future development and production of Uganda's resources. Tullow remains committed to supporting more Ugandans and developing national talent in the oil and gas sector."

The experts have been equipped with world-class skills which are required in the future oil and gas production. The ten underwent 6 and 10 months training in the UK and practical experience sessions at Tullow's Bangladesh production facility.

In Bangladesh, some of the trainees were given hands-on training at Tullow's Bangora Operations facilities.

This gave the team an opportunity to acquire an understanding of systems and equipment on the plant as part of the development programme. Through the Production Process Operations and Processing Operations Hydrocarbons training courses, the teams received training in areas including; oil and gas separation, gas dehydration, natural gas liquids recovery, Fractional Distillation, oil pumping and metering, injection and water treatment, as well as environment health safety management.

Additionally, they received training on, Control Of Major Accidents and Hazards, Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health and Management of Major Emergencies including; fire, explosion and gas release.

The beneficiaries of the external training programmes have been certified by renowned oil and gas training institutes including; Offshore Industry Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), City&Guilds and the National Examination Board of Occupations Safety and Health (NEBOSH) in the UK.

The experience

Collins Opio, Production Supervisor Trainee at Tullow Uganda said through industrial training in Bangladesh, he was exposed to the technical skills required in the oil and gas production process. "They train you with a facility running and therefore it's no longer just the theory," he said.