FROM OIL TO PROSPERITY: OWC Puts Uganda’s Albertine Graben Investments to the Test

What the report says

Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) sent its Senior Management Committee on a field assessment of major petroleum, industrial and agricultural projects in Uganda’s Albertine Graben, according to Watchdog Uganda. The tour, led by Deputy Chief Coordinator Brig. Gen. Godfrey Muwanguzi, took place on Wednesday, 26 August 2026 and focused on how oil-related investment could translate into wider economic gains for local communities.

The delegation visited the Tilenga project in Buliisa District, operated by TotalEnergies, and CNOOC’s Kingfisher Oil Field in Kikuube District. At Kingfisher’s Central Processing Facility, OWC received updates on drilling progress, crude processing plans and hazardous-waste controls. The committee also reviewed work linked to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which the article described as a key export route for crude oil.

During the inspections, Brig. Gen. Muwanguzi urged project managers and investors to follow timelines closely, account for resources carefully and ensure Ugandans benefit through jobs, local contracts and business opportunities. The article said OWC also examined nearby industrial parks and agricultural projects to encourage links between petroleum development, food supply chains and manufacturing rather than an isolated oil economy.

Watchdog Uganda framed the assessment as part of a broader test of whether oil in the Albertine Graben can deliver household-level transformation. The piece said the main measures of success should include employment, local content, market access and environmental protection for communities in Buliisa, Kikuube and surrounding areas.