Western Region

Western Region is Uganda's oil frontier—home to the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields along Lake Albert that will feed EACOP, the 1,443km pipeline stretching to Tanzania's coast. The region contains the Albertine Graben, one of Africa's most significant onshore oil discoveries: TotalEnergies (62%), CNOOC (8%), Uganda's UNOC (15%), and Tanzania's TPDC (15%) own the pipeline. As of 2025, EACOP is 75% complete, Tilenga is 60% finished, and Kingfisher stands at 74%—with first oil targeted for H2 2026. Initial production of 21,000 barrels/day will scale to 145,000 bpd by 2027, generating $1.5-3 billion annually at peak over 25+ years. Yet Western Region also bears the environmental and social costs: lawsuits in East Africa and France, activist opposition, biodiversity concerns (the region borders Murchison Falls National Park), delayed land compensation, and acquisition disputes. A $4 billion UAE-backed refinery at Kabalega is projected for 2028. The government plans majority stakes in refinery development and electricity distribution nationalization. Western Region represents Uganda's resource gamble: transformational wealth if oil prices hold and governance works; environmental destruction and local displacement if extraction follows the African pattern of enriching elites while externalizing costs to communities.