Over 200 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been enlightened about the existing untapped opportunities in the oil and gas sector at the midstream stage.
The enterprises who are dealing in construction, engineering, ICT among others have been urged to position themselves to provide services by bidding for services and civil engineering works in the existing projects including construction of the Kingfisher project, Tilenga project and the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline among others.
The Executive Director, Petroleum Authority of Uganda, Ernest Rubondo (pictured), urged the representatives of Small and Medium Enterprises intending to participate in the sector to prepare their companies ahead of time to avoid missing out on contracts.
He said the engineering, ICT and the construction sectors have been identified as the sectors that will derive the most value for Ugandans from the oil and gas sector.
Speaking at a National Content Mobilization clinic organized by Stanbic Bank business incubation program at Protea hotel on Friday, Rubondo tipped the companies to tap the numerous construction opportunities, metal fabrication, Welding and supply of goods and services in the industry.
During the clinic, the small and medium enterprises heard from companies already providing engineering, construction and ICT services in the oil and gas sector as well as the International Oil Companies Total E&P and China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) and the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC).
Pierre Real-Paris, the Total E&P Uganda Upstream Project Manager said some of the available opportunities are in supply of sand, aggregates, construction materials and upgrades of Airports and Camps for Oil Companies.
Real-Paris said some of the opportunities will be sub contracted to Ugandan small and medium companies while others will be shared with Oil Companies and International Companies. He says the civil works can employ up to about 6,000 Ugandans.
“Some of the available works will require very specific specialized equipment which only few Companies are capable of supplying around the world while there will be others that can be subcontracted to Ugandan companies,” he stated.
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