Tanzania businessmen are set to deliberate on the opportunities Uganda crude oil pipeline presents to the country as a way of strengthening local participation in the oil and gas industry.

The workshop, organised by Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) and Petro Fiorentini, expects to unveil opportunities available before, during and after pipeline construction. The organizers also expect to express the role of value chain and local content to the country’s business community.

TPSF Executive Director, Godfrey Simbeye, who was represented by his Lois Accaro, said the project would create enormous number business opportunities plus jobs.

“The main focus of this workshop is to brief open eyes in value chains and also to give suppliers the channels, tools and means to harness and cater for this project,” Simbeye told reporters over the weekend.

Top on the list of priorities for the workshop will be to hear plans on how to prepare local workforce and engagement of local enterprises to maximise the national economic benefit from this project.

During the workshop, TOTAL will make a detailed presentation on how local force will be engaged on entire value chain.

The one-day workshop will address skills shortages in the country, both in technical and professional areas and significant investment required to provide relevant skills to local staff. Others are to build the capacity of the local supply chain to international standards and project timelines.

The proposed 1,403 kilometres pipeline is expected to convey 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Local media in Tanzania has projects that the pipeline will create 15,000 jobs during its execution after which upon completion, in 2020, it will employ about between 1,000 and 2,000 people.

Source: Daily News, Additional Reporting by Uganda Oil