Oil and Gas
Buliisa Hosts Inaugural Agri-Business Forum to Align Oil Wealth with Agricultural Transformation
In a landmark gathering aimed at harnessing Uganda’s emerging oil wealth to boost sustainable economic growth, Buliisa District this week hosted its first-ever Agri-Business Forum, a flagship initiative spearheaded by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU). Held at the Buliisa District Local Government offices, the event unfolded under the theme “Empowering Farmers and Enabling Linkages: An Agriculture Value Chain Networking Forum,” and brought together a dynamic mix of stakeholders dedicated to transforming Uganda’s agriculture landscape, particularly in the oil-rich Albertine Graben.
District leaders from Buliisa, Nwoya, Pakwach, Hoima, Kikuube, and Masindi converged for the forum, joining forces with farmers, agriculture-focused NGOs like Sasakawa and the World Food Programme, as well as agro-input companies, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), the East Africa Grain Council, and key oil sector players. These included TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda, and the Uganda National Oil Company Limited (UNOC), who are joint venture partners working alongside PAU.
The presence of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda was instrumental in framing the forum within the context of national development. The PAU delegation was led by Ms. Peninah Aheebwa Kajura, Director of Economics and National Content Management, supported by Ms. Evelyn Atuhaire, Economist and Financial Analyst. Together, they emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of the oil sector are extended to other high-potential sectors like agriculture.
In her keynote address, Ms. Aheebwa praised TotalEnergies EP Uganda for its consistent investment in agricultural productivity, particularly its contributions to food security across the Albertine region. She stressed that the synergy between energy and agriculture is not only feasible but necessary for sustainable national development. According to Ms. Aheebwa, farmers must evolve from traditional, subsistence farming to more value-driven approaches that include agro-processing, branding, and access to export markets.
She called on farmers to embrace value addition as a gateway to higher incomes and job creation, urging them to seize emerging opportunities presented by new infrastructure developments, including the Hoima International Airport. This airport, once operational, is expected to be a game-changer in connecting Ugandan agricultural produce to global markets, thereby unlocking the country’s export potential.
The forum also highlighted the National Content policy at the heart of Uganda’s oil and gas strategy. Ms. Aheebwa underlined that linking agricultural communities to oil sector demands and broader market players is a deliberate move to distribute oil wealth widely while reinforcing other economic pillars. Through this approach, Uganda seeks to create sustainable livelihoods, strengthen food systems, foster economic diversification, and build farmer capacity to engage competitively in national and regional markets.
Participants were exposed to practical networking opportunities, connecting directly with agro-input suppliers, financial institutions, off-takers, and development partners. This integrated platform dismantled the typical barriers that smallholder farmers face in accessing inputs, markets, and financing.
The inaugural Buliisa Agri-Business Forum stands as a promising start to a series of interventions designed to ensure that Uganda’s natural resource wealth translates into tangible gains for ordinary citizens. It affirms the necessity of collaboration between the government, the private sector, and local communities to build a resilient, diversified economy where agriculture thrives alongside the growing oil and gas industry. As Uganda moves toward first oil, the forum’s success signals that inclusive development is not only possible but already underway.
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