KAMPALA – The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has rolled out a new scholarship initiative aimed at supporting engineering students from Uganda’s leading public universities, Makerere and Kyambogo.
The program, introduced in collaboration with EACOP’s Tier One contractor, China Petroleum Pipeline (CPP), will provide financial aid to 28 academically outstanding but economically disadvantaged students, enabling them to complete their education.
EACOP noted that the selection process was highly competitive, assessing academic performance, financial need, and community involvement. Priority was given to applicants from the ten districts along the pipeline corridor, with seven of the awardees hailing directly from those areas.
“This scholarship reflects our national content strategy, equipping Ugandan talent to take advantage of opportunities in the oil and gas industry,” the company said in a statement.
The scholarships add to broader capacity-building programs already in place:
- 82 graduate trainees have joined EACOP’s training program.
- A “Train the Trainer” program has delivered 532 hours of technical training to lecturers, professors, and technicians in engineering fields.
- Partnerships have been established with Makerere, Kyambogo, Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba (UPIK), and the Institute of Surveyors of Uganda to enhance skills transfer.
Kyambogo University confirmed that 18 of its students received the scholarships, while the remaining beneficiaries are from Makerere.
First announced in July 2025, the three-year program will cover tuition and academic-related expenses for selected students.
EACOP, which is developing the world’s longest heated crude oil pipeline stretching from Hoima, Uganda, to Tanga, Tanzania, emphasized that investing in local skills is central to ensuring Ugandans directly benefit from the multibillion-dollar project.
