Enabel in Uganda and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in promoting Business and Human Rights principles within Uganda’s energy sector.

The agreement reaffirms the shared commitment of both institutions to ensuring that energy and infrastructure development is undertaken in a manner that prioritises human rights, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

The partnership will support responsible business conduct, enhance capacity building on human rights due diligence, and promote alignment of private sector operations with Uganda’s 2021 National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP-BHR).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, EACOP’s Deputy Managing Director, John Bosco Habumugisha, underscored the vital role of corporate leadership in advancing responsible development.

“EACOP is committed to delivering the pipeline project responsibly, ensuring that growth, inclusivity, and human rights go hand in hand. This partnership with Enabel marks a significant milestone in ensuring that business expansion and respect for human rights move together,” he said.

The Country Director, Enabel in Uganda, Nicolas Oebel, highlighted that the collaboration is anchored within the European Union-funded Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Businesses in Uganda (ARBHR) Project, co-implemented by Enabel and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

“Enabel is proud to collaborate with EACOP, a leading private sector actor, to translate the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights into concrete actions that safeguard rights and foster sustainable investment,” he noted.

Representing the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Lydia Nabiryo, Principal Social Development Officer/Human Rights, said the MoU is a key step in strengthening human rights standards in Uganda’s oil and gas sector.

“The collaboration will extend Business and Human Rights capacity-building efforts to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within EACOP’s supply chain, supporting responsible sourcing and contributing to national content development,” she said.

The Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Businesses in Uganda Project facilitates implementation of the 2021 National Action Plan and works to reduce human rights abuses associated with business operations in Uganda. It focuses on five priority sectors: sugarcane, floriculture, mining, oil and gas, and fisheries.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline is a 1,443km export infrastructure system designed to transport Uganda’s crude oil from Kabaale in Hoima District to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga in Tanzania for export to the international market.

The project comprises 296km of pipeline in Uganda and 1,147km in Tanzania, along with six pumping stations, two pressure-reduction stations, and a marine export terminal in Tanzania. 

• 
• 
• 
•