Investing in Skills: How the Tilenga Academy is powering Uganda’s oil future
The graduates now join a growing pool of skilled professionals being prepared to take on operational roles as the country transitions from project development to production.
As Uganda edges closer to first oil, the country’s most critical investment may not be pipelines or processing facilities, but people. On Sunday, 8th Ferburary 2026, 56 young Ugandans from the second cohort of the Tilenga Academy Training Programme earned internationally recognised Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) certification after completing intensive training at the Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) in Malaysia.
The milestone marks a strategic step in building a nationally trained workforce capable of supporting both the start-up and long-term operation of Uganda’s oil and gas sector. The graduates now join a growing pool of skilled professionals being prepared to take on operational roles as the country transitions from project development to production.
Training for a High-Risk, High-Value Industry
The Tilenga Academy programme is designed to meet the exacting standards of the global oil and gas industry, where safety, technical competence and operational discipline are non-negotiable. At INSTEP, the Ugandan trainees underwent a rigorous, structured programme that blended theory with practical application.
According to INSTEP Chief Executive Officer Azhar Ahmad, the learners were trained across four core trades, operations, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation; using a model that closely mirrors real industrial environments.
“They followed a blended approach combining classroom learning, workshop practice and hands-on experience at the Upstream Downstream Training Plant,” Ahmad said. “This allows them to safely operate, start up, monitor and shut down plant equipment while gaining practical, real-world experience.”
Such exposure is critical for a sector where mistakes carry high financial, environmental and human costs. By training Ugandans in a live, controlled industrial setting, the programme reduces operational risk while accelerating skills transfer.
Capacity Building as a Strategic Priority
Uganda’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Betty Oyella Bigombe, praised TotalEnergies EP Uganda and its partners for placing capacity building at the centre of the Tilenga Project.
She described the Tilenga Academy as a model of genuine knowledge transfer, noting that its programmes are deliberately structured to build the human capital needed for the sustainable management of Uganda’s oil and gas resources.
“These initiatives go beyond short-term skills training,” Bigombe said. “They are designed to create the national expertise essential for managing this vital sector over the long term.”
Her remarks reflect a broader policy shift within Uganda’s extractive industry—away from dependence on expatriate labour and toward deliberate localisation of technical and operational roles.
A Long-Term Investment in Local Content
For TotalEnergies EP Uganda, the Tilenga Academy is not a corporate social responsibility project, but a core operational strategy. Lamin Sabally, the company’s Operations Director, said the programme is a deliberate investment in building a competent and confident Ugandan workforce.
“This is about preparing Ugandans to safely deliver one of the country’s most important national projects,” Sabally said. “The goal is to ensure that Ugandans are not just participating in the start-up phase, but are positioned to lead the long-term operation of the Tilenga Project.”
The approach aligns closely with Uganda’s local content policy, which seeks to maximise national participation in the oil and gas value chain; not only through employment, but through skills development, technology transfer and institutional capacity building.
Positioning Uganda for First Oil, and Beyond
As Uganda prepares for first oil, the availability of OPITO-certified nationals strengthens the country’s operational readiness and enhances investor confidence. Internationally recognised certification assures regulators, financiers and partners that Uganda’s workforce meets global safety and competence standards.
Beyond the immediate needs of the Tilenga Project, the graduates represent a transferable asset for the wider economy. Skills in operations, mechanical systems, electrical works and instrumentation are applicable across energy, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, supporting broader industrial development.
The success of the second cohort also signals scalability. As more Ugandans pass through programmes like the Tilenga Academy, the country moves closer to building a self-sustaining ecosystem of oil and gas professionals—reducing reliance on external expertise and retaining more value domestically.
In the long run, Uganda’s oil story will not be judged solely by barrels produced or revenues earned, but by how effectively it transforms natural resources into human capital. With 56 more OPITO-certified professionals added to the pipeline, that transformation is steadily taking shape.
