The oil discovery in Uganda’s Albertine region: Local expectations, involvement, and impacts

Abstract

This paper examines the opportunities created by the recent oil discovery in Uganda's Albertine region for local economic development. This is achieved through an assessment of local expectations, involvement, and impacts of on-going activities following the discovery of oil. The local communities have formed strong positive expectations including improved access to healthcare, education, electricity, safe drinking water, transport infrastructure, cleaner and less costly energy, and employment prospects. Moreover, communities expect to benefit from auxiliary business opportunities. The negative expectations include concerns about the arrival of immigrants, contestations over land, inequality, environmental pollution, interference with livestock grazing areas, and loss of livelihoods. Despite the negative expectations expressed, the local communities within the Albertine region approve of the ongoing activities with regard to the development of the oil sector. We argue that greater stakeholder involvement will help to alleviate the fears shaping the negative expectations and create conditions necessary to avoid the resource curse.