A senior Ugandan delegation headed by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa, has paid a courtesy visit to the Office of the Tanga Regional Commissioner, Dr. Batilda Buriani, ahead of a scheduled field tour of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The delegation included key officials from Uganda’s energy and petroleum sector, among them Eng. Geoffrey Ogwang, Acting Commissioner for Midstream; Eng. Herbert Mugizi, Acting Commissioner and EACOP Project Coordinator; Mr. Mathias Katamba, Board Chairperson of the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC); Ms. Zulaika Mirembe Kasaija, Board Chair of the National Petroleum Council; Mr. Rashid Musa Otika, Acting General Manager (NPC/UNOC); Mr. Gilbert Kamuntu, Chief Commercial Officer; and Mr. Tony Otoa, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at UNOC.
Also present at the meeting were Hon. Salome Makamba, Deputy Minister in Tanzania’s Ministry of Energy, and Mr. Guillaume Dulout, Managing Director of EACOP.
In welcoming the Ugandan delegation, Dr. Batilda Buriani noted that the EACOP project has already delivered visible socio-economic benefits to the Tanga Region, positively transforming livelihoods. She expressed optimism that the visitors would be encouraged by the progress made so far, highlighting the project’s strong commitment to safety standards and environmental protection, including in ecologically sensitive coastal zones. She further affirmed Tanzania’s pride in hosting a project of major regional significance.
Addressing the meeting, Hon. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa remarked that the implementation of EACOP will leave a lasting impact on Tanga, pointing out that more than 12,000 workers—many of them local residents—have been trained and employed under the project. She extended her appreciation to the Regional Commissioner and local authorities for their continued support and applauded the leadership of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania for championing the pipeline.
The Minister explained that the visit was aimed at assessing the project’s progress on the ground and expressed optimism ahead of October, when Uganda and Tanzania are expected to jointly host the commissioning of EACOP in the presence of the two Heads of State.
