Ugandan youth have been urged to harness the numerous opportunities in the oil and as and
mining sector, to benefit from the country's national resources.
The call was made during the recently concluded 2024 Youth in Energy Conference organized by
TotalEnergies EP Uganda and key industry players at the Makerere University School of Public
Health Auditorium that provided a platform for Ugandan youth to explore and leverage
opportunities within the sector.
The conference, held under the theme Involving Youth in Africa's Energy Transition, put the youth at the centre of conversations around energy exploration in Uganda.
While delivering a keynote address, Ali Ssekatawa, the Legal and Corporate Affairs Director,
Petroleum Authority Uganda (PAU) urged the youth to take up opportunities in the industry,
emphasizing that the highest demographic employed in the sector are youth.
"Since 2012, we have had about 14,000 people working in the industry and of whom are mostly youth, with less than 5% being older people. We also have a national tool called the oil and gas talent register. I encourage you all to visit and register, the total numbers are now at 9,245," Ssekatawa said.
Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, the Director of IFR Center for Energy and Climate tasked the youth to look into the mining sector, stating that most skills and qualifications cut across.
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"Now, there is also an opportunity to open up the golden years of mining and I must say that the African continent is endowered with the best resources in the world and everything you need is here. So, mining is also equally cool and a lot of jobs that you can find in hydrocarbons, you will also be able to do for the mining industry," he said.
NJ Ayuk the Executive Chairman, Africa Energy Chamber, pointed out the economic opportunities available within the oil and gas industry, urging the youth to be proactive in seeking out educational and professional development opportunities.
He highlighted that today's youth is deeply engaged on social media and can transform the energy industry into a "cool" field and also emphasized the importance of engaging in accurate information and driving meaningful conversations around EACOP.
"Africa's energy sector is ripe with potential. The key is for young people to engage, learn, and innovate to tap into these opportunities," he remarked.
Commenting on the gaps and limited access to information in the sector, Rahma Nantongo, a
recent graduate of Bachelor of Science in Petroleum, Geoscience and Production from Makerere University emphasized the need to have more information sharing initiatives such as the youth in energy conference.
"I would like to highlight the need for key stakeholders in Uganda's energy space to work together with student associations and societies because I believe that it's a part of the grassroot approach needed to ensure that these information sharing initiatives are successful,"Nantongo said.
