In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni attended on Tuesday the launch of the drilling of several production wells as part of the controversial mega oil project.
For this project, TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed a $10 billion deal last year to develop Uganda’s oilfields and build the pipeline.
The 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) pipeline will transport crude from currently operating oil fields in Lake Albert in northwestern Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean.
Despite strong opposition from activists and environmental groups who believe the project threatens the ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in the region, the Ugandan government has issued a license for the construction of this pipeline.
The $3.5 billion license to transport Ugandan crude oil to international markets was granted by the cabinet on Monday.
Furthermore, Uganda’s first tanker is set to sink in 2025, nearly two decades after the reserves were discovered.