TotalEnergies Uganda has unveiled 200 young Ugandans who are joining the Tilenga Academy, which is aimed at skilling Ugandans to work in the oil and gas sector.
The group was identified from a competition conducted in 2022 and over the next four years, they will be trained to become production operators, maintenance, and inspection technicians.
Speaking at the function in Kampala, TotalEnergies EP Uganda General Manager Philippe Groueix said the opening of the academy is part of the company’s strategy on local content development.
“National content development is at the heart of our operations and underpins our commitment to achieving shared prosperity for Uganda and Ugandans because of the Tilenga Project,” he said.
Ms. Mariam Nampeera Mbowa, the Deputy General Manager of TotalEnergies Uganda, said the academy shows the company’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with 4 dimensions including sustainable energy and climate, people’s well-being, care for the environment and creating shared value.
“TotalEnergies is an integrated value chain where we produce, process, transform, transport and distribute. Working on the Uganda project alone is integration into the value chain given that Uganda operates the mid-stream, upstream, refinery and distribution service stations,” she said.
She also has implored the Tilenga Academy participants to take pride in what they do, be passionate about work, think about the future and be mindful of character and reputation.
The selected candidates will receive training for 2.5 years at various locations starting with the Uganda Petroleum Institute in Kigumba followed by international oil and gas training centres and hands-on experience during the Tilenga project installation and commissioning.
The courses to be undertaken include theoretical training in oil and gas, production, maintenance, as well as health, safety and environment.
25% participants are from the Albertine Region while 23% are females.
With presence in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Angola, Namibia, the Congos, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, Africa represents 30 percent of TotalEnergies oil and gas production, and 30 percent of its investments.
