East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Ltd. signs an MoU with MAKERERE to support implementation of National Content Initiatives

EACOP has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Makerere University on behalf of its contractors and suppliers. The MoU will provide a framework to guide collaboration between the two parties towards the realization of the National Content Capacity Building initiatives and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and projects.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Ltd. is a project company set up to develop, build and operate a pipeline system which will transport crude oil from the inlet flange at Kabaale in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. Given the nature of the project, there are several national and international contractors and suppliers who will support different aspects/scopes on the construction of the pipeline and others who will also supply bespoke equipment for the pipeline (aka Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)). To promote National Content, all EACOP’s tier one contractors and suppliers have made commitments depending on the nature of their contracts.

Among the commitments made were commitments to work with EACOP to support knowledge and build capacity among Ugandan recent graduates, technicians and instructors, professors, and lecturers from tertiary and vocational training institutions. These commitments will be realized through the implementation of two key Capacity Building initiatives, namely:

1. Internship/ Graduate Training programs: These trainees will be graduates or existing students from the institution and will be offered training and work exposure with EACOP’s suppliers and contractors on various scopes of the project according to their disciplines. The duration and location of the internships varies between the different contractors/suppliers.

2. Train the Trainer programs: These training sessions will be delivered by EACOP’s contractors and suppliers and will seek to share knowledge on their different scopes of work on the project as they relate to various engineering disciplines and vocational skills.

To date, EACOP has signed MoUs with UPIK, as well as with professional bodies (e.g. the Institute of Surveyors of Uganda) to support the onboarding of graduate trainees with our contractors/suppliers and of interns with EACOP’s internal departments.