Minister wants fair women employment in oil sector
Written by admin on January 20, 2023
Gender, Labour and Social Development Minister, Ms Betty Amongi, wants women to get a fair share of the jobs within the budding oil and gas sector in Uganda.
The minister said that legislation is already in place to safeguard jobs placements for Ugandans as priority but also for women as a demographic.
“We have the Mining and Minerals Act 2022 that requires licensees, contractors or sub-contractors in the sector to give priority of employment to Ugandan citizens but also recruit, train and promote Ugandans taking into account gender and equity,” Ms Amongi.
Meeting the new French ambassador to Uganda, H.E Xavier Sticker, the minister said it was important for the employers in the oil and gas sector to be equitable in allocating jobs to steer sustainable development.
“This is a very strategic requirement both nationally and globally because it empowers women to make contribution to the development of their country,” she said.
Ms Amongi noted that the French government strength is being shown among others, its “standing up against detractors who tried to run a sponsored campaign against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).”
Ambassador Sticker said there were 38 French companies in Uganda including Total Energies involved in the country’s burgeoning oil and gas sector adding that the technological and skills transfer was important to these companies as well as the empowerment of women and girls.
“When it comes to gender, we want to explore areas of cooperation in terms of promoting the rights of women, their employment and women economic empowerment,” he said.
He observed that Uganda’s gender policy serves a cornerstone for programming around gender issues.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr Aggrey David Kibenge, said attention was being directed to young women and girls out of school to skill them for economic empowerment.
“We established regional skilling centres for young people to empower them with competencies for improved livelihoods. However, we need to equip them with the necessary tools to tap into the opportunities out there including in the oil and gas sector,” he said.
